About the Author
Anastasia Suen is the author of more than seventy books for young people. She enjoys watching basketball because the game moves so quickly! Anastasia grew up in Florida and now lives with her family in Plano, Texas.
About the Illustrator
When Sean Tiffany was growing up, he lived on a small island off the coast of Maine. Every day, from sixth grade until he graduated from high school, he had to take a boat to get to school. When Sean isn’t working on his art, he works on a multimedia project called “OilCan Drive,” which combines music and art. He has a pet cactus named Jim.
Glossary
clipboard (KLIP-bord)—a board with a clip at the top for holding papers
clockwork (KLOK-wurk)—smoothly and as planned: “The play went like clockwork.”
defense (di-FENSS)—when players on a team try to keep their opponents from scoring
element (EL-uh-muhnt)—the simple or basic part of something
foul (FOWL)—making unfair contact with another player
huddle (HUHD-uhl)—a tight grouping of team members
key (KEE)—the area in front of the basket
offense (aw-FENNS)—when players on a team try to score
pivot (PIV-uht)—to turn suddenly
roster (ROS-tur)—a list of players on a team
Cool Facts … About Basketball
In 1891, the athletes at Dr. James Naismith’s school were bored in the winter. So he invented a new game he called basket ball. There were nine players on each team. To make a point, the players threw a soccer ball into a peach basket.
Professional basketball began in New York in 1896.
Basketball became an Olympic sport at the Summer Games in Berlin in 1936.
On March 2, 1962, Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlin scored one hundred points during a game against New York. That is the most points ever scored in a single game.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who played for twenty seasons in the NBA, holds the most points for a career, 38,387.
The NBA began the three-point shot before the 1979–80 season.
A basketball court is ninety-four feet long and fifty-four feet wide.
Home teams normally wear light-colored jerseys and visiting teams wear dark-colored jerseys.
Discussion Questions
1. What do you think about “trash talk” in sports? In the book, the character of Jason is mean to Derek. Do you think it’s okay to “trash talk” the players on your own team?
2. If you were Derek, what would you have done if the team lost because you missed a free throw?
3. Have you ever played sports with someone like Jason? How would you deal with someone like that?
Writing Prompts
1. The main character, Derek, hates doing free throws. Has there ever been something you’ve had to practice to become better at? If so, write what it was and how you felt after you succeeded.
2. Throughout the game, Derek never tells the coach about Jason and his bad attitude. Do you think this is a good idea or not? Explain.
3. What are some of the reasons the coach kept Derek at center for so long?
Discover More:
VIDEOS & CONTESTS
GAMES & PUZZLES
HEROES & VILLAINS
AUTHORS & ILLUSTRATORS
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