Hoops (Paperback)

by Walter Dean Myers (Author) "One of the things my father used to say was how his days were piling up on him..." (more)
Key Phrases: nice game, Sweet Man, Stealer John, Matt Lee (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A teenage basketball player from Harlem is befriended by a former professional player who, after being forced to quit because of a point shaving scandal, hopes to prevent other young athletes from repeating his mistake.

From the Publisher
All eyes are on seventeen-year-old Lonnie Jackson while he practices with his team for a city-wide basketball Tournament of Champions. His coach, Cal, knows Lonnie has what it takes to be a pro-basketball player, but warns him about giving in to the pressure. Cal knows because he, too, once had the chance--but sold out.

As the Tournament nears, Lonnie learns that some heavy bettors want Cal to keep him on the bench so that the team will lose the championship. As the last seconds of the game tick away Lonnie and Cal must make a decision. Are they eilling to blow the chance of a lifetime?

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (March 15, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440938848
• ISBN-13: 978-0440938842
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,544 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #2 in	Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Sports > Basketball > Fiction
  #7 in	Books > Teens > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Myers, Walter Dean
  #15 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Multicultural Stories > African-American

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lessons to Learn, September 7, 2000

By A Customer

Hopes, dreams, aspirations and life lessons. Thats what HOOPS is about. We all have some sort of dream or game plan for our future, as well does 17 years old Lonnie,(the main charecter of this book). But do we all know what it's like to live in a less then ideal situation? To deal with the pressures of drugs, alcohol,and the treat of violence lurking in the air? These are all things Lonnie deals with in life, all the while just wanting to play his game. The game of basketball. He dreams of one day making it out of the projects and playing pro ball, with his lady Mary Ann by his side. That is Lonnie's dream. He knows this won't be easy. He must face his many challenges with his team and his coach. The team knows it must win the Tournament of Champions, but none of them want it more then Lonnie.So he knows he needs to practise hard and give it his all.With Cal's help and persuasion Lonnie has a chance. Cal is the coach. The man that will help keep the team together,right? Well not exactly. Cal has many challenges of his own to face. He has a past that doesn't seem to stay away. Cal is a former pro-player. He has problems with gambling and alcohol that keep haunting him. He tries hard to keep himself together, to show the team the right way of doing things, especially Lonnie. He wants Lonnie to make it out. To live out the dream he lost to greed and temptation. There are a lot of lessons that can be learned from HOOPS. I enjoyed reading this book and found it to be an easy read. But most of all I learned to never give up on my dreams. No matter what gets in the way.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I like this book a lot., November 4, 1999

By A Customer

Hoops is a book about a young 17yr old,named Lonnie.Lonnie lives in Harlem New York.He works at a hotel and he also lives there. Lonnie is playing basketball one night and mets this guy Cal.Abpot two weeks later Lonnie and his friends hear about a basketball tournimate.They decide to form one but they need a coach.Cal and Lonnie really didn't get along at first so Lonnie didn't like the idea of cal being the coach.Then Lonnie gave Cal a chance and they became very good friends.Lonnie tells Cal his dream of playing pro basketball,Cal tells Lonnie how he used to play pro basketball.Cal also says how much pressure you have when you play it pro. Lonnie don't want to hear what cal has to say and he decides to continue to follow his dream of playing pro basketball.Hoops also tells about how it is to grow up in a tough neighborhood.It also shows how friends stick bye eachother no matter what.The point of the book is to follow your dreams.so yeah I like the book a real lot.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love For The Game, November 3, 2002

By	matt (USA) - See all my reviews

Hoops, a novel written by Walter Dean Myers is a novel about a boy who expresses his love for the game of basketball. Lonnie Jackson a seventeen-year-old boy has a hard life. Lonnie has outstanding basketball skills, which he practices all day. Lonnie tries out for a tournament called The Tournament of Champions. Lonnie meets his coach and is not pleased with what he sees. Lonnie's coach, Cal, explains to him that he was once in the NBA. Lonnie starts to show much respect for Cal as he begins to teach them to become champions. Lonnie's teammates help lead the team to victory by making it to the championship. The day before the championship Cal gets a call from some heavy bettors and tells him to lose so they could make good money. [...] I recommend this book to teen readers who are interested in sports. I could easily relate this book to everyday life because it was so realistic. The author did an incredible job in writing this book.