Hoops

Feb 03, 2009 Grant added it

Every on is watching Lonnie Jackson while him and his team practices for a city-wide basketball Tournament. Lonnie Jackson’s head coach, Cal knows Lonnie has what he needs to be a pro-basketball player, but warns him about everything he needs to know. Cal knows because he once had the chance-but failed and screwed up.
As the last seconds of the game clock runs away Lonnie and Cal must make a choice. Are they willing to blow the chance of a lifetime? You will haft to read the book to find out wh...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Jermaine Hall rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have always hated reading because I thought it was a waste of time. I have been learning that reading helps me with my grammar and comprehension. A few weeks ago, Mr. Welsh told me to pick a “Good read” book. I picked a book that looked interesting to me called “Hoop`s”, I choose this book because I am a fan and love the sport of basketball. This book turned out to be interesting because it taught some important skills that I can apply in this basketball season. “Hoop’s” also talks about a lo...more

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Feb 14, 2009 J. Shepard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hoops is the best thing I've read by Walter Dean Myers yet.

It has a great caste of characters, but the foremost, laconic, tough, and funny Lonnie loves basketball. He gets put on a team that has a chance to get seen by some college recruiters. The reading is smooth, the prose poetic without being difficult or unnatural, but the thing that this book has really got is the wisdom and gradual, unsimplistic way it tackles some coming-of-age issues for young, urban Black America.

It is about the comp...more

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May 19, 2013 Zach rated it 4 of 5 stars

“Hoops” by Walter Dean Meyers was a very easy read that really makes you think about yourself and what kind of person you are. This is more of a guy book that is focused on a very talented basketball player that lives in the ghetto that is faced with many bad temptations on his path. I loved this book being a boy that participates in many competitive sports. Meyers does a great job in the book of creating a great theme, portraying the rough environment, and making great relationships in the stor...more
“Hoops” by Walter Dean Meyers was a very easy read that really makes you think about yourself and what kind of person you are. This is more of a guy book that is focused on a very talented basketball player that lives in the ghetto that is faced with many bad temptations on his path. I loved this book being a boy that participates in many competitive sports. Meyers does a great job in the book of creating a great theme, portraying the rough environment, and making great relationships in the story between characters.

The theme of the story is to follow your dreams and to not let anything get in your way until you achieve them. Meyers gets this theme across to the reader through Lonnie’s journey. Lonnie is faced with many difficult decisions in the story. Living in the Ghetto we see as readers isn’t the easiest place to grow up in, but this doesn’t stop Lonnie. Instead of throwing his basketball career away from gambling like his coach did, he decides to follow his dream and play in the final tournament game and help his team win the whole thing.

Lonnie lives in a very bad environment that causes many issues to be presented in the story. At the beginning of the novel Meyer’s writes about an event where thieves lock a truck driver into a store and then them and the whole community steal all of the liquor in the truck. This scene definitely sets the ghetto tone of the story not to mention all of the slang used in the dialogue between characters while they talk. Through all of this Meyers effectively show how a rough environment can affect a character.

I connected well with this book because the relationship Meyers creates is extremely realistic and genuine. The father/son relationship that is created between Lonnie and Coach Cal makes you want to keep reading until you find our whether Lonnie learns from Cal’s mistake that he once made. When Cal is killed at the end of the book you can see that Lonnie likes him more than just a coach. The way Lonnie lays out all of his emotions shows that he loves Cal and would never have made it to where he was without him.

I would recommend this book and about any other Walter Dean Meyers book to all of the sports fans out there. I find great enjoyment in reading Meyers writings and plan on reading this book over again when I find the time to. I would give this book 4 stars.
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May 16, 2013 Mason Spaulding rated it 3 of 5 stars

I hated the book. Sports isn't my thing. I like science fiction, post-apocalyptic, and war books. I would've liked Shooter or Maze Runner. The only thing I liked about it was the characters. The setting of the book was Harlem, New York. Harlem's famous for its crime rate. So most of the characters have a very rough life.

Lonnie is the main character. His dad left him when he was younger. He now lives with his mom who is constantly nagging him to do stuff around the house. Lonnie has recently gra...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Nelson Zaragoza rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hoops is about making it to the big leagues for basketball. Lonnie Jackson has the skill and talent to be a pro basketball player. He competes in many city-wide basketball Tournament with his team. But one of his teammates though that they needed a coach so they got someone named Cal. Cal saw something in Lonnie that made him think that he could make it to the NBA. But Lonnie needs to find a way to not give in under pressure.
The theme of the story is there will always be tough decision in life...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Angel Flores rated it 3 of 5 stars

In the story Lonnie lives in Harlem in new york, and is struggling through poverty, and other struggles. He doubts his new coach cal, and doesn't think that he'll be there for his new team. He soon realizes what the man has done in his past and can completely connect with him. Cal soon becomes a impact on Lonnie and they face many challenges during the time they were together playin ball.
The story Hoops by Walter Dean myers begins with a seventeen year old teenager named Lonnie Jackson. He is...more In the story Lonnie lives in Harlem in new york, and is struggling through poverty, and other struggles. He doubts his new coach cal, and doesn't think that he'll be there for his new team. He soon realizes what the man has done in his past and can completely connect with him. Cal soon becomes a impact on Lonnie and they face many challenges during the time they were together playin ball.
The story Hoops by Walter Dean myers begins with a seventeen year old teenager named Lonnie Jackson. He is a basketball player from the city that never sleeps new yuork city. During the beginning of the book Lonnie Jackson is viewed as a normal teenager doing his regular activities but that all changes when there is a new coach in charge of Lonnies basketball team. When Lonnie finds out that cal his coach is a drinker he wants to quit the basketball team. Luckily the support of his girlfriend Mary ann and his friends he continues to play leading his team to the championship in the New york citys tournament. Lonnies coach Cal knows that Lonnies dream of playin in the nba could become true if he doesn’t give into the pressure that comes with it. Cal knows this because he too had the choice of playing in the nba but hee didnt make it. As the tournament nears lonnie finds out that there are some heavy betteors that want cal to bench him so that the team would lose the championship.
The theme of this book is to follow your dreams, don’t let anything stop you. I believe that this is the theme of the book because when Lonnie heard that his new couch was a drunk he had the idea of quitting his basketball team. Luckily Lonnie had a community that changed his mind and he soon led his team to the championships in his citys tournament. I didn’t really like this book because I thought the book would be more about basketball related instead of drama.The title of the book in my opinion it was barely about hoops. I believe that they should have named the book The Story Of Lonnie Jackson instead of hoops.
I thought the author wrote this book because he wanted to show teenagers that you shouldn't be afraid to fight for your dreams its going to take time to accomplished those dreams. His other reason for writing the book are showing the difficulty personal life of teens. An important lesson or idea or theme is dont give up on your dreams don't get caught up with the wrong crowd because it could me change you. This book reminds me of the nba players who had a hard childhood made it by playing basketball. This book made me realize that people can make their dreams come true by hard work.(less)

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Jun 11, 2012 Justin Liang rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hoops by Walter Dean Myers is about is about a seventeen year old teenager named Lonnie Jackson. He is a basketball player from the city that never sleeps, New York City. During the beginning of the book, Lonnie Jackson is viewed as a normal teenager doing his regular activities, but that all changes when there is a new coach in charge of Lonnie’s basketball team. When Lonnie finds out that Cal, his coach is a drinker, he has the desire to quit the basketball team. Luckily the support of his gir...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Noah is currently reading it

Dear Charan,

I'm reading a book entitled Hoops by Walter Dean Myers which is a work of fiction. I thought the author wrote this book because he wanted to show teenagers that you shouldn't be afraid to fight for your dreams, its going to take time to accomplished those dreams. His other reason for writing the book are showing the difficulty personal life of teen's. An important lesson or idea or theme is don't give up on your dreams,don't get caught up with the wrong crowd because it could me cha...more

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Dec 15, 2011 07JordanO rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hoops was a very good book, it is all about chasing dreams and learning hard but important life lessons. It shows what some high school students have to struggle with and how to deal and come through those struggles. Hoops is a very fiting name, not just beacause of a basketball hoop, but it also represents the hoops one has to jump through in life. Lonnie has alot of hopes and dreams but he finds out that those don't come so easily. He is surrounded by alot of temptations: drugs, alcohol,and vi...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Charles Mournet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 9th-grade

Hoops is a story of struggle and triumph. Lonnie Jackson a teenager almost finished with high school was stuck at a cross road. He had no clue whether or not to get a job or do something with himself. We learn a lot about Lonnie from the decisions he makes. The first somewhat essential decision he comes to that shows a lot about his personality is when he decides to steal a case of liquor not so much to drink but to sell which tells me that he has a tough life where he is willing to steal to pic...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Josh H. rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is about a boy a young man named Lonnie that is growing up in the ghetto living a hard life. But the thing that he loves the most is basketball. He is very good at it and it have been around him his whole life. He is growing up with a mother that they always get in arguments and the only thing that he will ever do to cheer himself up is play basketball. Then one day he saw a man named Cal laying down on the basketball court. But it turns out he becomes a basketball coach for a couple f...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Steven Shaw added it

This is a good book for anyone who likes the game of basketball. Also for anyone who is interested in what troubles and decisions basketball players go through.i recommend this book for teenagers that have always played basketball so they can relate to Lonnie Jackson. Also for kids that come out of bad or tough neighborhoods because it shows you can make it somewhere in life even through all kinds of troubles. You need to make the right decisions and put everything you have into what you are tr...more

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May 04, 2010 Jtscanlon rated it 5 of 5 stars

SUMMARY- Lonnie is a talented basketball player who is given a second chance to go to college in a basketball tournament.

PASSAGE- Pg 180 Paragraphs 8,9,10 and 11

"Tell me about it, Lonnie," he said. His voice was a whisper. "We got it, didn't we? It was us out there, wasn't it?"

"I knew I couldn't get the shot off," I started, "and when I saw Breeze cut away from . . . Cal, I love you, man. I really do.

"Tell me about the game."

"When I saw Breeze cut away, I didn't know for sure, but I . ....more SUMMARY- Lonnie is a talented basketball player who is given a second chance to go to college in a basketball tournament.

PASSAGE- Pg 180 Paragraphs 8,9,10 and 11

"Tell me about it, Lonnie," he said. His voice was a whisper. "We got it, didn't we? It was us out there, wasn't it?"

"I knew I couldn't get the shot off," I started, "and when I saw Breeze cut away from . . . Cal, I love you, man. I really do.

"Tell me about the game."

"When I saw Breeze cut away, I didn't know for sure, but I . . ."

REASON
-I choose this passage because it was an important passage. It basically wraps up Lonnie and Cal's father and son relationship. In the beggining of the book, Lonnie found Cal on a basketball court drunk and laying down. Lonnie thought that this guy was just a drunkard and Lonnie hated him. That was until Cal(The Drunkard) became Lonnie's basketball coach for a tournament that gave Lonnie and his fiends a chance to play college basketball. At first, Lonnie wanted nothing to do with the tournament after Cal became their coach. However, as time progressed, Cal and Lonnie bonded and became like father and son. Lonnie also found out from Cal himself that Cal is realy an X-basketball superstar. This passage shows , like how Johnny and Dally's relationship grew throughout the book The Outsiders, Cal and Lonnie's relationship grew too. I enjoyed this book and recommened it for anyone.(less)

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Nov 16, 2009 Kamrin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: yal-2009

So...technically I liked this book. It definitely kept my interest, and I couldn't put it down. I started reading it at night, and didn't go to sleep until I had finished the entire thing. It's about a boy who lives in Harlem, Lonnie. Lonnie loves to play basketball and in the spring of his senior year, he gets the opportunity to play in a tournament with college scouts. At first, Lonnie isn't really sure if he wants to play because he doesn't really like the coach. However, after a while, Lonni...more

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Aug 13, 2009 Jason_W. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-ir-report-09

The book Hoops is about a kid named Lonnie Jackson who it's in his point of view. While he goes to a tournament his coach Cal, teaches him many things both physically and his mental strength. Cal becomes Lonnie's best friend as he also teaches him lessons outside of basketball. Cal Jones was in the National Basketball Association or the professional basketball. So Cal wants Lonnie to be seen by the College scouts who came all over just to see this tournament in New York City.
Meanwhile Cal is sti...more

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May 16, 2013 Dominic Tart rated it 5 of 5 stars

The novel Hoops was an amazing book. Walter Dean Myers did a great job at making the book be closer to the younger age of our generation i think, because i feel that most of the kids my age would be able to connect with this book towards things that might occur during their everyday lives maybe. Most of the characters were interesting Lonnie was the average kid whole loved to play the game of basketball, Cal was the old professional basketball player back in the day but his dreams got crushed s...more The novel Hoops was an amazing book. Walter Dean Myers did a great job at making the book be closer to the younger age of our generation i think, because i feel that most of the kids my age would be able to connect with this book towards things that might occur during their everyday lives maybe. Most of the characters were interesting Lonnie was the average kid whole loved to play the game of basketball, Cal was the old professional basketball player back in the day but his dreams got crushed so now he's like just a drunk, Mary-Ann who is like Lonnie little girlfriend she's brave and a tough chick throughout the book, Tyrone which is like one of the bad guys in the book, and Paul who is Mary-Ann's brother which gets involved with the wrong crowd meaning Tyrone. I just thought all the characters were fun in their own kind of way. I also like how the story line is Lonnie and Cal are basicly pretty much trying to help each other out in reaching a goal during the book.

Walter Dean Myers did a great job at writting the novel with the vocabulary and all because he uses some of the slang we as younger people use now or the slang the younger people would use back in the day. Like for example They say "Can you Dig it" a lot so i thought that was kind of cool. He also doesn't use a lot of curse words if any which i like because sometimes when i'm reading a book like that with mainly nothing but cursing i really can't get myself into reading a book like that because sometimes its just unessecary to have all of the cursing all the time.

I believe people of the ages of 14-18 would like this book simply because they might be able to connect to the story better since the novel is more in the direction of a teen novel. Also both gender's male/female would like reading this book. The boys would like reading this novel because their is some fighting in the book, and the use of gun's. The girls would like reading this novel because during the story Lonnie and Mary-Ann starts to get all sexual, and eventually fall for each other and they need up together as a couple. So thats why i believe that both gender's of the ages 14-18 would like or enjoy reading this novel by Walter Dean Myers.

I think this book is relevant to todays society because their or so many connections to to the book that a lot of people can relate to on a daily bases. For example with the whole basketball tournment and Lonnie and his friends trying to follow their dreams its a lot of people out in the world that plays a sport who once dreams to play professional one day. So that's why i believe it is relevant.

So for this novel be walter dean myers i give it a 5 out of 5 because its a great novel and i feel that it gives off a positive attitude towards the youth of today.

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Nov 29, 2012 Carlos rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the story Hoops by Walter Dean Myers, Lonnie Jackson is a young man from Harlem New York, and his family is struggling. He doesn’t think his new coach Cal will be there for him or his teammates. Lonnie finds out what Coach Cal did in his past and soon becomes closer with him. Cal has a big impact on Lonnie in the story and together they overcome many challenges while playing basketball.

The story starts of with a young man named Lonnie Jackson. He is a basketball player from Harlem. Most peop...more

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May 13, 2010 Tdragon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Walter Dean Myers’ book Hoops is about a young black 17 year old kid named Lonnie Jackson. He knows how to play basketball better than any other. Lonnie lives in the Harlem, NY at the Grant, a place he works at ever since his mom has been, as Lonnie says, “All over my back lately,” (2). It is an incredible story, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves basketball, and overcoming obstacles.

This story is about a High school ball player named Lonnie. He is an amazing basketball player; and dr...more Walter Dean Myers’ book Hoops is about a young black 17 year old kid named Lonnie Jackson. He knows how to play basketball better than any other. Lonnie lives in the Harlem, NY at the Grant, a place he works at ever since his mom has been, as Lonnie says, “All over my back lately,” (2). It is an incredible story, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves basketball, and overcoming obstacles.

This story is about a High school ball player named Lonnie. He is an amazing basketball player; and dreams of playing basketball in college someday and of course in the N.B.A. He enters a team, which consists of his basketball players who are also really good basketball players, into the Tournament of Champions. This tournament is hosted to let the players who weren’t given the opportunity to play high school basketball another shot to have scouts see how they play.

Lonnie is struggling through poverty, and other struggles like how he doubts his new coach, Cal, and doesn't think that he'll be there for his new team. He soon realizes what the man has done in `his past, and can completely connect with him. Cal becomes a huge impact on Lonnie, and they face many challenges. Cal works Lonnie very hard to become the best basketball player he can be. Lonnie develops some new moves he didn’t even know he could do like Cal’s “famous” shot. Cal also teaches Lonnie a big thing about reality and how things really go down not like they do in fairytales. Cal teaches Lonnie not to be soft by saying, “There’s cats that come into all steps of basketball every year and can’t make it. You see little dudes playing ball, and they all pretty good. Then they get to high school, and they find out that some cats can outmuscle them….then they get into college, and they find out some cats are willing to hurt you in order to get over……guys come into the pros and find out that everybody in the pros ain’t got nothing near an education…..They’re going to hurt you until you know how to protect yourself,” (145-146).

This book makes me think about how hard it would be to grow up in a rough city. I have realized that basketball is a great way to escape the struggles us humans face. I have learned a lot from this book, and I think that anyone who reads it will too.

A lot of Walter Dean Myers’ books are about growing up in Harlem, just like he once did. From this story, you will learn that the people around you really affect who you are, and how much it helps to have the support of family and friends in your life. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
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May 12, 2010 Mguido rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hoops, a fiction book, by Walter Dean Myers is a great book filled with sports, romance, and real life situations.17 year old Lonnie Jackson can really play basketball he has enough skill to get him to play in college and in the NBA. His new coach Cal played in the NBA he was banned for shaving points. Lonnie wants to quit the team when he finds out that Cal is a wino. He continues to play with the help of his girlfriend Mary-Ann and his friends. Lonnie’s team is excepted to play in the local to...more Hoops, a fiction book, by Walter Dean Myers is a great book filled with sports, romance, and real life situations.17 year old Lonnie Jackson can really play basketball he has enough skill to get him to play in college and in the NBA. His new coach Cal played in the NBA he was banned for shaving points. Lonnie wants to quit the team when he finds out that Cal is a wino. He continues to play with the help of his girlfriend Mary-Ann and his friends. Lonnie’s team is excepted to play in the local tournament. The team follows Lonnie all the way to the finals. Heavy bettors want to keep Lonnie on the bench and ruin Lonnie’s career. Will Cal ruin Lonnie’s career or give Lonnie a chance of a lifetime?
If you are into basketball and are looking for a really great story then you should pick this up. Walter Dean Myers who grew up in Harlem just like where the book takes place. He also wrote the Outside Shot which is a sequel to this book. I also recommend it to anyone who enjoys a short read. I now hope to read more of his books.
I chose this book over spring break the NCAA tournament just ended. I thought it would be good idea to read because I enjoyed watching the tournament. I picked up this book not knowing really what I was getting myself into. I’m glad I read it was one of the best books I have read I never put it down. One reason this book was pretty good was because it has a lot of description. “I could feel the game. I could feel everything that was going on. It was as if every player had a string on him and they were all tied to me. Anytime anybody moved, I could feel it”(174). I felt that I was right on the court next to Lonnie. Walter Dean Myers of writing was really good. “The pool of blood was growing, and a bloodstain on his shirt was growing bigger every moment. I put my fingers on it and looked at it. I could hardly see it because I couldn’t stop crying”(180). This is the end of the book you really get close to the characters and when Cal makes his decision he must pay the price. Which decision did Cal make was it the right one?(less)

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Sep 03, 2009 Sandra Strange rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sports, young-adult

This novel combines minority inner city African American culture with basketball to make a superior YA novel. The protagonist starts out selfish, hostile, closed to others and arrogant. An ex NBA player, one who made a mistake which brought drastic consequences, organizes a basketball team with the protagonist and his friends. The protagonist and other members on the team struggle with issues of racism, identity within black culture, stealing, gambling, cheating, dealing with racketeers, violenc...more

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May 16, 2013 Braxton Moragne rated it 4 of 5 stars

For this Dude/Chick Lit unit I read the book Hoops. After reading the book Hoops, I thought it was a really interesting story. I think moral of this story was about a boy learning to grow up as a mature man. I felt I had a strong connection to this story because of the how the main character Lonnie had to change his life style and attitude the hard way instead of the easy way. I believe this to be because I myself had to things the hard way in order to change but it taught me to show a little mo...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sports, urban-realism

This short book could count for either a sports book or an urban realism book; I chose to read it simply because my library did not have Dairy Queen (sad face) and I had heard of the author, Walter Dean Myers, but never read any of his work. Hoops is told from a 1st person POV; the narrator, Lonnie, is a teenage boy growing up in Harlem. His dad disappeared from his life, so he eventually latches on to his basketball coach, Cal, a former NBA player who was thrown out of the league for shaving po...more

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Sep 26, 2010 704jeremy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 7th-grade-books

Over the summer the three books I read were Maus by Art Spiegelman, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, and Hoops by Walter Dean Myers. After I finished all three books I realized all of the primary characters had an issue with how they got along with their parents. They didn't like to be around their elders much.
Maus: A Survivor's Tale was a very moving story more so because I had recently spoken with a family friend who had survived the holocaust. This was very interesting considering how much of what...more Over the summer the three books I read were Maus by Art Spiegelman, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, and Hoops by Walter Dean Myers. After I finished all three books I realized all of the primary characters had an issue with how they got along with their parents. They didn't like to be around their elders much.
Maus: A Survivor's Tale was a very moving story more so because I had recently spoken with a family friend who had survived the holocaust. This was very interesting considering how much of what she said related to the settings and plots in Maus. They both mentioned hiding in bunkers, going to places where the Gestapo desired the Jews to go and many more saddening stories. In Maus the older the author/main character gets the less he cares to see his father until he decides to write a story which is now called Maus.
Tom Sawyer was by far the most difficult book I read. I mainly found it hard because the language from when the book was written has changed vastly over time. There is also slang from out of my understanding as well as words that are still used but difficult. Overall I thought Tom Sawyer was a great book because of its irregular humor and the lessons learned just by reading confusing concepts. The book was so intensely deep that I felt as though I was with each character. Tom and his Aunt Polly always went after each other fighting and trying to get away from one another.
Hoops was the easiest book I read, but it still was difficult because the dialogue throughout the book was written in 1960's black slang. This book really took me back to the feel of the time era when there was still many issues that do not apply so much any more. Segregation was one of the important issues going on. Every time something big was happening you would get so into it as though you were the one deciding what to do. As the book mentions several times the character can get so annoyed at his mom that he likes to sleep in the hotel he works in to getaway.
I learnt very good lessons through each book's uniqueness. Each primary character had the similarity of trying to avoid their elders. The characters liked their elders they just always got annoyed to the point where they needed a break. I enjoyed the different ideas of each book and how they were so strongly developed.(less)

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Feb 11, 2009 Andrew Backs rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-titles

4Q 3P S

Hoops is a story of Lonnie Jackson. He is a hard nosed, ear to the street African-American male, in his senior year of high school. As Lonnie moves closer and closer to finishing high school, he is faced with trying to think about how he is going to find his own way. Lonnie earns a meager paycheck and shelter over his head by working a smaller hotel in Harlem. Lonnie's father had left him and his mother, and after taking the job at the hotel, Lonnie spent most of his days playing ball wit

...more 4Q 3P S

Hoops is a story of Lonnie Jackson. He is a hard nosed, ear to the street African-American male, in his senior year of high school. As Lonnie moves closer and closer to finishing high school, he is faced with trying to think about how he is going to find his own way. Lonnie earns a meager paycheck and shelter over his head by working a smaller hotel in Harlem. Lonnie's father had left him and his mother, and after taking the job at the hotel, Lonnie spent most of his days playing ball with his friends and having a drink in his room. While Lonnie is not alone, he keeps his mother and best friends distant enough so he doesn't become too emotionally invested in them. It seems at times that the only thing Lonnie is truly worried about is the status of his game.

During a slow night Lonnie slides out of bed with too many thoughts in his head and decides to head to the local court to shoot around and clear things out. As he walks up, he notices a middle aged has-been drunk who is crowing some song about big feet. Lonnie takes in this man as a washed up wino with nothing better to do than get in his way while he is trying to clear his thoughts. What Lonnie will come to realize that this chance meeting will give him the opportunity to make something of himself.

The author Myers does a great job of capturing the internal struggle of a young man as he goes through a transition from young adulthood to becoming a man. The main character Lonnie conflicts with his tough guy exterior with his deep insecurities. While he presents himself as a strong and independent man, especially on the basketball court, the reader will definitely see that his relationship with Cal and his friend Mary-Ann his compassion for others. Lonnie's fear of becoming emotionally tied to someone, especially these other two characters, is probably tied back to his father leaving the family. Even as a basketball player, Lonnie is a strong individual player, but early on lacks the trust in others to help his team succeed.

Young men, especially those going through tough emotional changes or family struggles should definitely be able to relate to the character of Lonnie. Teenagers who live in the city, especially those in an ethnic minority will also be able to relate to Lonnie and social injustices that exist in this story. The setting that Myers lays out in Harlem seems very legit. Language and description of the basketball scenes is spot on and fans of the sport will definitely get into reading this story. The slang used in the book is a little dated, but after a chapter or two, readers will be able to catch on without scratching their heads The book would probably need to be pushed on to female readers. The character of Mary-Ann is strong, but he role is not really represented until the final third or so of the book.

The character development in Lonnie is very important. Lonnie must learn how to take the natural gifts that he has and use them to the best of his ability. He must do this mostly on his own, but slowly begins to understand that trying to carry the burden of everything on his shoulders will eventually cripple him. He too learns how to be patient with things and not to quickly jump to hasty decisions. Lonnie is also reminded to never sell himself short. All of these are positive characteristics that the main character develops throughout the book. When recommending this to a teenage reader, it would be worthwhile to mention.

This books does have themes that could scare away some readers. The community that the story takes place is very gritty and real, and Myers holds nothing back. In this story are examples of physical violence, strong language, sex, drug use, and alcoholism. The character of Lonnie is by no means a perfect young man and his priorities still focused on basketball rather than school. While his character development is admirable, at times it is difficult to really feel sorry for him because of his brash and selfish personality.

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Apr 16, 2012 Jack rated it 3 of 5 stars

As always, people who are passionate about what they do inspire me to become someone just like them. In this book, the protagonist, Lonnie Jackson, is this person who is passionate about they do. He sets out as a person who strives to achieve his goals by doing what he likes best; basketball. However, life for him was harsh, he was intended to make decisions that sacrificed what was good for him and overcome impediments just like any other person who lives in a life of hardships. He eventually c...more

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Apr 17, 2010 Zack Marcinkiewicz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lonnie Jackson is a rising basketball star in Harlem who juggles girls, basketball, and a rocky relationship with his mom. I can definitely make connections with him and I think we’re alike since we love basketball, live in Harlem, and so forth. One night after an argument with his mother, Lonnie went out to shoot some hoops, and on the floor he noticed a man. He figured he was just a hobo and simply shooed him off the court. But one day, at this center where Lonnie often plays basketball, he h...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Elijah Sarmiento rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hoops is the story of the life of Lonnie Jackson, a talented, senior ball player. The book isolates the summer after his senior year of high school in which Lonnie learns and grows the most he has in his whole life. Lonnie encounters Cal, a former professional basketball player who lost his chance due to his bad choices. Lonnie has the opportunity of a lifetime to participate in a tournament where scouts can see his skills. Both Lonnie and Cal encounter many obstacles in their quest for the tour...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Alma rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-2010-11

Myers, Walter Dean. Hoops. Laurel-Leaf Press. 1981. 183 pp. ISBN: 0440938848. Genre: Realistic Fiction, Sports
Rating: 3.73 Stars. Lonnie is a poor teen, growing up in Harlem with a love of basketball. He is faced with the challenges of being poor and being a great athlete.

Summary: Lonnie loves basketball and is ready to play on the city-wide tournament. He is faced with the challenges of being 17 and being on the team.

Main Characters: Lonnie Jackson – 17 year old, loves basketball
Cal – new bask...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Gage Mcnally rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is about the struggle of life and Harlem and how sports particularly basketball provide a temporary escape from the stressful times. Lonnie wants to play basketball in the NBA so he gathers a group of his friends and finds a coach named Cal who was similar to Lonnie when he was younger. Cal also wanted to make it to the NBA but he never made it. The big moment in the story is in the final championship game, Cal knows people who purposely bet against his teams because they knew Cal had...more

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Hoops

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