Hoops by Walter Dean Myers
"Hoops" by Walter Dean Myers is a compelling young adult novel centered around Lonnie Hoops Jackson, an aspiring basketball player from Harlem. As he joins a citywide tournament designed to attract college recruiters, Lonnie encounters challenges both on and off the court. He discovers that his team is coached by Cal Jones, a local man grappling with alcoholism and a troubled past, including a history of professional basketball and personal loss. Their relationship evolves from conflict to mutual respect as Lonnie learns about Cal's struggles and the sacrifices he has made.
The narrative explores themes of ambition, loyalty, and the harsh realities of street life, underscored by the backdrop of basketball culture. As Lonnie navigates pressures from his team, his girlfriend Mary-Ann, and the influence of local mobsters, he faces moral dilemmas that test his character. The story culminates in a high-stakes championship game, where personal and external conflicts collide. With authentic dialogue and relatable characters, Myers crafts a story that resonates with readers of all backgrounds, inviting them to reflect on the complexities of growing up in challenging environments. "Hoops" ultimately serves as a poignant exploration of determination, identity, and the power of love and sacrifice.
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Hoops by Walter Dean Myers
First published: 1981
Type of work: Social realism
Themes: Sports, friendship, race and ethnicity, and social issues
Time of work: Contemporary
Recommended Ages: 15-18
Locale: Harlem, in New York City
Principal Characters:
Lonnie Jackson , a cynical, self-centered hoop shooter, who wants to leave Harlem and be someone importantCal (Calvin) Jones , a troubled coach who sees a bit of his own faded reflection in the basketball talents of LonnieMary-Ann , Lonnie’s street-wise girlfriend, strong, loyal, and supportive of Lonnie’s ambitionsPaul , Mary-Ann’s kid brother and Lonnie’s best friend, who is drawn into a world of stealing, gambling, and drugsTyrone , a racketeer and gambler who tries to fix the final game in the Tournament of Champions, thereby jeopardizing Lonnie and Cal’s chances of victory and triggering the tragic events at the conclusion of the novel
The Story
Lonnie Jackson, a Harlem hoop-shooting ace now out of high school, signs up for a citywide basketball tournament to showcase talented players for college recruiters. He discovers that his team’s coach is a local drunk. Lonnie refuses to play in the tournament, but the drunk, Cal Jones, baits him into playing one-on-one. Cal wins handily, proving that he can still coach basketball despite his drinking problem.
During practice sessions, relations between Lonnie and Cal steadily deteriorate. Cal, impressed with Lonnie’s potential, is highly critical. Although the team loses the early warmup games, primarily because of Cal’s instability and Lonnie’s hot temper, they learn to work together. Eventually Lonnie respects Cal as coach and mentor, having learned of Cal’s past misfortunes—his promising career with the pros, which ended in conviction for point shaving, his loss of a child, who was burned to death, and his drinking and marital problems. Lonnie also has problems with girlfriend Mary-Ann. She wants romance, but he cannot commit himself or even use the word “love.” Lonnie, however, willingly helps extricate Mary-Ann’s brother Paul from the grasp of Tyrone, a local mobster-gambler who has blackmailed Paul into doing his bidding.
The team wins five elimination games; then Cal inexplicably disappears. Without Cal, the team barely makes the final cut. Cal eventually turns up—in jail for drinking and fighting with gamblers who want the upcoming games fixed. Out on bail, Cal refuses to coach the team, taking to drink once more. Because of Lonnie’s reputation for bad sportsmanship during these games, the sponsors of the tournament decide that he may not play in the championship game. Their decree makes Cal so angry that he becomes coach again, with the proviso that Lonnie be allowed to suit up for the game, though only to sit on the bench. Lonnie’s world seems to crumble: Not only is he benched for the crucial game, but also he learns that Cal has bet two thousand dollars on the other team, claiming that Lonnie has a bad ankle. Mary-Ann, moreover, overdoses on drugs through the machinations of Tyrone. It is only when Cal tells Lonnie that Mary-Ann is recovering, and that he plans to trick the gamblers, that Lonnie agrees to play his part in the scheme.
Early in the final game, Lonnie is on the bench, a towel wrapped around his leg as if it were injured. By halftime, when Lonnie’s team is five points behind, Tyrone and the other gamblers make their bets, thinking the fix will hold. Cal, however, springs his surprise: During the final minutes, Lonnie goes into the game, puts on a display of superior hooping, and bests the opponents 93 to 92. While the crowd celebrates, a furious battle takes place in the locker room. Tyrone and his cronies seek out Cal and beat him up for the double-cross. Lonnie enters the fray too late; Cal is stabbed by Tyrone. As Cal dies, Lonnie, for the first time, is able to say aloud that he loves someone—Cal. After Cal’s funeral, Lonnie and Mary-Ann, who is now strong enough to leave the hospital, try to sort out their future together. Lonnie’s superior ball handling has attracted some college offers of basketball scholarships. Though he is frightened, Lonnie is determined to succeed in memory of Cal’s sacrifice.
Context
On the surface, Hoops is formulaic: An athletic underdog overcomes incredible obstacles and even wins the “big game.” It is to Walter Dean Myers’ credit, however, that he refurbishes that cliche by creating memorable, engaging characters in situations often amusing, painful, and even tragic. From the beginning, the reader sees Harlem and the corruptible world of basketball from the perspective of Lonnie, a hip black who is somewhat amoral when it comes to sex, violence, and larceny but who wants a better life. Having grown up on the streets of Harlem himself, Myers knows his characters, their foibles, their dreams, their values. Myers has an excellent ear for authentic dialogue of black urban youth and a dramatic flair for building taut situations. In his other stories of black ghetto life, such as Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff (1975) and Scorpions (1988), Myers also writes gritty, fast-action stories populated by hopeful, sensitive characters coping in a dangerous environment.
Myers is on record as wanting to create stories that challenge black youths to use their minds and to learn from “the black experience.” At the same time, Myers’ fiction appeals to readers regardless of race because there is an immediate identification with the trials and tribulations of the youthful characters involved.
Some readers may wince at the negative portrayal of whites in Hoops. Lonnie, however, has little contact in Harlem with whites and he overgeneralizes about them. In The Outside Shot (1984), the sequel to Hoops, Lonnie plays college ball for a predominantly white Midwestern college. His daily contacts with whites change his attitudes and values as well as his street language. Hoops is one of the better written sports novels for adolescents. It is sure to hold the attention of sports-minded youngsters who crave action, intrigue, fascinating characters, and thought-provoking ethical issues.
Bibliography
Bishop, Rudine Sims. Presenting Walter Dean Myers. Boston: Twayne, 1990.
Burshtein, Karen. Walter Dean Myers. New York: Rosen, 2004.
Jordan, Denise M. Walter Dean Myers: Writer for Real Teens. Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Enslow, 1999.
McElmeel, Sharron L. “A Profile: Walter Dean Myers. Book Report 20, no. 2 (September/October, 2001): 42-45.
Smith, Amanda. “Walter Dean Myers.” Publishers Weekly 239, nos. 32/33 (July 20, 1992): 217-218.