Slam
The book Slam, a Coretta Scott King Award winner5, was a very interesting book. Derrick Shore, Slam6, was the main character in this book. Being one of the best hoopsters1, Slam was very cocky in basketball. Losing his dad when he was little1, he tried really hard to help out his family. Slam was very aggressive, trying his hardest to do well on the court2. In school he wasn't the greatest, confused by all of the different things he had to remember4. Stunned that he failed some classes3, he realized he might not be eligible to play basketball. He studied hard to be eligible, worried that he might not be able to play the sport he loved4. Hoping to pass the test7, he studied really hard. His mom, Carolyn6, was very excited that her boy passed the test. Slam, a wistful young man5, had finally done well in something other than basketball, but that was the least of his challenges. Knowing he would have a hard time making college7, he studied hard his last couple years of high school. Slam made it threw high school, maturing enough to realize that college was important2. Slam ends up getting a good job and helping his family out, he always remembers the rough times he had when he was in high school, and uses that to push him every day.
One part I liked in the book was on the very first page. The opening sentence where Slam talks about how good he was at playing basketball pushed me to read more of the book. The sentence, a straight up sentence that got to the point5, told about the way Slam feels and sees things on the court. Hoping to impress the readers7, the author presents a cocky boy that has some interesting words. Surprised by the first couple of sentences3, I really thought the book was going to be good by just reading the first couple of sentences. I think that fact that the author, Walter Dean Meyers6, was writing about basketball, the sport he loves5, helped this book become more realistic. Throughout the book there are colorful statements like this one, intriguing me, the reader6, even more2.
Another part of the book I liked was on page 166. This part was about after a close loss where their team had made a little comeback. The team was low, scared that they might not make it any further in the tournament4.
As I finished reading the book Foul Trouble by John Feinstein, I thought that this was one of my favorite basketball books that I have read. This book was a fictional book about these two friends named Danny and Terrell who loved to play basketball. In the middle of the book, the team starts to find difficulty winning games, as the team start to make poor decisions. Terrell starts it by partying with people that are trying to recruit him, and he eventually get injured during the parties, forcing him to miss some of the games for the team. As a result, the team starts losing a few more games and the team is concerned if they can make the state tournament now. In this journal I will be questioning if the team would have made it to the state
Basketball is a chart-topping sport that is loved by many fans. It’s been a hit since 1891 when it began, starting in Springfield, Massachusetts. It grew rapidly in popularity and spread around the world. Many people found it comforting to play, such as Pat Conroy. Pat Conroy was an outstanding basketball player, who was committed in going far with his teammates. Although he seemed superb, he had a troubled life growing up at his family home. His parents were abusive and uncaring towards him, therefore he used basketball as an alternative. In My Losing Season, Pat was able to obliterate the thought of his abusive parents. His comfort was playing basketball with a team he will never fail to remember. The outcomes Pat acquired were admirable,
Your dreams of being someone may not turn out the way you think they will. The documentary Hoop Dreams is a story about two boys from the ghetto that want to play in the NBA. Arthur ¨Man”Agee goes to Marshalls and William Gates goes to St. Joseph’s which are both situated in Illinois, where their dreams of becoming a pro basketball player vanished. Both of the boys face obstacles that are outside of themselves. Arthur´s family struggled with money, education, and pressure from others hurts him. Also, William struggled with balancing his family with basketball, the pressure from others, and education.
To begin, Slam’s ego keeps him from seeing the consequences of his actions greatly, throughout the book Slam! Slam is a very popular kid who is a very good basketball player, so he feels that he has to act the part by being as “cool” as he can be. One instance in which Slam doesn’t foresee the consequences of his actions, because of his ego, is when he disrespects his coach when they play one-on-one. When Slam blocks one of his coaches shots, he tells the reader, “I go up and slap his mess away. I don’t even chase the ball, I just put my hand on my hip and give him a look.” (12) Slam could have just played the coach straight up and fair instead of having an attitude about it and being a jerk. Slam’s ego wouldn’t have been damaged by just playing the coach fairly. By playing the way he did, Slam dug himself into a hole. This left a bad impression on the coach, and the coach didn’t start Slam in any of the games, even though Slam was clearly the best one on his
Hoops by Walter Dean Myers takes place in New Jersey, a city where basketball may be the future of a lot of teenagers.Basketball is their only escape to success. Loonie is an All-Star basketball player but he just got a new coach,Cal.Cal was a professional basketball player but he lost everything because of drugs.Now Cal is trying to find his way back to basketball and in other part Loonie is trying to find his way to success.
This book is a very interesting read, if you have some self discipline. I mean that you need some self discipline because this book didn’t really captivate me in the sense that I couldn’t put it down. But after reading it for a while, I started to appreciate the author’s way of describing the characters and actions in this book.
Remember that boy in high school that was the star of the basketball team? He still holds most of the records for the team. He scored more points than anyone else in the school’s history. He never studied much because he was an athlete. His basketball skills were going to take him places. But high school ended and there are no more games to be played. Where is that former all-star now? In his poem “Ex-Basketball Player,” John Updike examines the life of a former high school basketball star. Flick Webb was a local hero, and he loved basketball. He never studied much in school or learned a trade because he was a talented athlete. Now years later, the only job Flick can find is working at the local gas station. He used to be a star, but now he just “sells gas, checks oil, and changes flats” (19-20). The purpose of Updike’s poem is to convince the reader that athletes should also focus on getting a good education.
Although many youngsters fail in the NBA, there are a few high school players who have had, or do have a successful career in the NBA. Some of these are, Moses Malone, Kobe Bryant, Tracey McGrady, and this year’s most valu...
Robinson, Mark D. Ph. D. “Every Black Kid Should Strive to Be a Professional Athlete”.
In the nonfiction book My Losing Season by Pat Conroy, he mainly expresses all the trials and tribulations he goes through as a child and in his current livelihood as senior at Citadel college. Conroy never had a good relationship with his father, no matter what he did the constant banter and hurtful play from his father always lingered. Conroy had a military family which meant that they were constantly moving every year to two years, this never gave him the chance to really settle in with the community and create steady friendships. This also made it hard for him to adjust to the way that certain area played basketball and how well he fit in with the teams. Basketball made him happy and having such an all-star basketball player as a father
Slam is a very talented basketball player, but he has trouble with his grades in Latimer High School. Before going to Latimer because of the city of Harlem trying to increase racial diversity, Slam has gone to Carver High School. Carver isn't as academically oriented but more focused on sports like basketball while Latimer is very academically oriented with not as good of a basketball program. Slam is having trouble passing math, but his old coach at Carver
Everyone wants to get better at something, but some want it more than others. In “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium”, the narrator wants to get better at basketball, so he wakes up everyday at 4:30 to go with his dad to his work. Everyday, the narrator would wait 3 hours in his dad’s car until the gym opened, only to sit on the bench and watch the other men play basketball. Finally, one of the best players, Dante, tells the narrator he can play but he’ll get “smoked”. However, the narrator proved him wrong. The narrator learns that if you persevere, work hard, and have confidence, your dreams may come true. In How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place
The poem is narrated in a limited third person perspective of a player that gains possession of the basketball after a rebound. The poet focuses the narrative on the actions directly following him gaining possession of the basketball. The determination the poet feels to keep the ball in his team’s possession and make a shot is felt strongly through the poem’s lines 3-7:
Although Danny is only four-eight, he overcomes great odds by leading a team who rejected him for being small. Since Mike Lupica made the protagonist a short elementary height, it creates a dramatic effect when his father asks him to coach, and then beats his old travel team. Danny Walker was used as a symbol to represent a great basketball mind behind a small middle schooler. The dedication and work ethic Danny has for basketball before and after he coaches the Warriors prove John Wooden’s quote, as he succeeds in being an on-court coach and star
My overall opinion of this book is good I really liked it and recommend it to anyone. It is a good book to read and it keep you interested throughout the whole book.