the Steeply–Poutrincourt colloquy: a whole game grown out of one shot, then locked
Possalthwaite’s the technically superior player with the better future, because Todd’s built a complete game out of his lob. [...] at fourteen his game, it will never change or grow, and if he grows strong and wishes to attack he will never be able
Context
The plateaux, illustrated on a single kid. Little Possalthwaite has "built a complete game out of his lob," developing the groundstrokes to hang back and draw opponents in — a real gestalt, "the technically superior player with the better future." But Poutrincourt sees the trap: a defensive game perfected at fourteen "will never change or grow," so if his body later grows strong and wants to attack, "he will never be able." The developmental choice that makes him complete now is the same one that walls off his ceiling. Building a body is also foreclosing it.