Hardcourt Comeback

Fred Bowen Sports Story Series

by Fred Bowen

Brett Carter, the Wildcats' star forward, is a hotshot on his basketball team—or at least he was.

After missing an easy layup shot at the buzzer in one of the most important games of the season, he feels like a total loser. And things only get worse from there... At his best friend's birthday party at a rock-climbing center, Brett freezes on the wall. Then he blows an easy question in the American history bee at school. And when he gets back on the court, he can't get rid of this terrible pounding in his chest. Brett is losing his confidence fast. With the championship game is coming up, can he overcome his fears and play like a "winner" again?

In the afterword, author Fred Bowen shares real stories of well-known players and their hard-fought comebacks.

Genres: Sports

152 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2010

About the author

Fred Bowen is the author of Peachtree’s popular Fred Bowen Sports Story and All-Star Sport Story series. A lifelong sports fanatic, he has coached youth league baseball, basketball, and soccer. His kids’ sports column “The Score” appears each week in the KidsPost section of the Washington Post. Bowen lives in Maryland.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brett Carter is a star on his youth basketball team, called the Wildcats. However, when he misses a simple layup shot at a critical time, his confidence on the court largely disappears. Furthermore, when he is at his best friend’s birthday party that is held at a location where there is a climbing wall, he freezes in panic on the wall and has to be rescued.
The main plot thread is how Brett manages to come back from his loss of confidence to once again be a star of his team. There is a big game at the end where Brett is involved in a climactic moment. To his credit, Bowen does not follow the usual path to the conclusion of the Wildcats’ season. The action keeps your interest and it is easy to empathize with Brett as he struggles to overcome his unexpected and complicated fears.
A fact of sports history is used to emphasize the point that one mistake or missed shot will only make or break a career if the player making the error lets it happen. In the last seconds of the 1993 NCAA championship game, All-American Chris Webber tried to call a timeout when his team had none left. The resultant technical foul all but sealed his team’s defeat. Yet, Webber went on to star for many years in the NBA because he refused to let that mistake define him. This is a good example to use in the education of young players.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the book from Peachtree Publishers that has Blendon's own Mr. McMillan in it (page 26), as a teacher running a history bee at school, no less! The story concerns Brett, who is a star basketball player and all around winner-- until he messes up a shot in a game and starts to have problems with school. He even loses confidence on a rock climbing wall, and is worried that he won't do well at the bee. Not to worry, though-- there is a lot more basketball action than worry, and Brett manages to work through his crises and get back on top of his game. The history Bowen brings in to this title is the "Fab Five" in 1993. I like these titles even more than Matt Christopher's.

[Mrs. Koch's Class · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hardcourt comeback is a very descriptive book. It is about two best friends who are on the Wildcats basketball team and face many challenges throughout the book. Brett carter is the hotshot of the team and Will his best friend is right there with him. But when Brett gets scared on the rock climbing wall he lost all of his confidence. Will he gain his confidence back before the championship? Guess you have to read to find out. ~Jed

[Karen]

Excellent read for 4-7th graders and parents alike. Discusses basketball, how to take a shot and how to depend on your teammates. I loved the insights to the main characters and how sometimes when everyone believes you are the best how you must always live up to that. What happens when conficence drops and who works to bring it back.