Last Shot by John Feinstein

I walked off the floor with sweat dripping from my hair. So many thoughts flew through my head that I couldn’t focus on anything. My junior year of basketball felt like it ended as quickly as a blink. It was as if in seconds we went from the stars of the state tournament to the embarrassments of it. I tried to forget the disappointment of it but it still will not leave. My desire and love to win games comes from the more apparent hatred of losing them. Junior year we had a chance to win a state championship, but we lost that chance. That was when I realized that I had one chance left to win. Senior year our basketball success would only be as rewarding as we would make it. The pressure placed on ourselves was substantial, and we faced trials on the road to success. In the end, we stood alone, crowned as the champions, not letting our chance slip away.

"Slam" by Walter Dean Myers is a book that shows a collection of styles of writings, and different techniques used by the author. There were many great characters in the book, also. This book is about a seventeen year old boy named Greg, who revolves around the game of basketball. He lives in Harlem and attends the prestigious magnet school Latimer in the South Bronx, which is predominantly white. He leads the school to great wins, even his former school. His best friend Ice starts to sell drugs, so they drift apart. When his grandmother got sick, his assistant coach became a fatherly mentor to him. He expresses that the game of life can either be won, or it can be lost.

Basketball is one of the most popular which is beloved sports that is played today. Michael Jordan, who played for the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls once said, “Just play, have fun, and enjoy the game” (BrainyQuote 2016). Whether playing with friends for fun or by professionals for entertainment or simply watching from home, basketball is very enjoyed all over the world. Beginning with a unique history, basketball has evolved over time from a simple idea into a professional career choice for those with the unique skill set.

Hoop Dreams, directed by Steve James, is an outstanding documentary that gives the viewer a perspective on several different elements on the life of a teen basketball player. The film follows Arthur Agee and William Gates, two basketball stars, who live in the rough Chicago area. The inner-city boys get noticed for their skills, and they are recruited to play for dominant team. The audience follows the boy’s journey with basketball, school, and general life matters. The film dives into the reality of living in the hood and chasing a dream of playing professional basketball. The corruption of the school system and sports are examined throughout the film. The audience follows Agee and Gates through their triumphs and failures in their chase to the top. The director, Steve James, uses the film genre of documentary for the story of Arther Agee and William Gates because it highlights the raw moments of their lives.

Coach Steve Rocker is one of the most successful high school basketball coaches in Kentucky’s history. Coach Rocker was very successful in previous years. Strangely, this year was very different for him. For the first time in his professional life, he is falling short of his expectations, the community expectations, and the team’s expectations. His team lost a lot of games, but most importantly the boys had no motivation or desire to bring the team out of the rut they found themselves. His players have lost their will to win, their love for their teammates, and their passion to play. Coach Rocker’s motivational methods that have always worked before and resulted in success are now failing, and he doesn’t know why. He argues that his players have become selfish and bored with winning because they have been so successful in previous years. “And there’s no question that my guys have lost their drive to win because they’ve won so much in the past. Now all they want is individual ‘wins’…which just doesn’t cut it on a team” (Gongwer, 2010, p. 17).

We do have memories to recall from our past – good and bad. From these memories brings a part of who we are in a diverse nation and a lesson that changes our lives forever. This is evident to Regelio Gomez' article entitled “Foul Shots”, that shares his memorable experience in playing basketball during his teenage years as both being his ghost and his teacher for almost 2 decades. His narration is a consequence of anyone who describes winning in the name of game or losing in the name of race.

Last Shot is a novel by the best-selling author John Feinstein. Feinstein is a Duke graduate and former sports writer. The story follows the two main characters, Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson. Both kids are in junior high and winners of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association essay contest. As winners of the contest, Stevie and Susan Carol act as student reports covering the Final Four in New Orleans.

In the collegiate world of sports, basketball has become an increasingly recognized sport among African Americans, predominantly males. The hope of any young basketball player is that one day a scout will come and recruit them into stardom The question that presents itself as a problem to the lucky few who are chosen to go professional, is whether or not an education is more important than a million dollar shoe deal, “The NCAA's (1998) annual six-year study reported that only 33% of Black male basketball players graduated, (Chronicle of Higher Education, 1999). Individually, basketball reported the lowest graduation rate in all divisions,” (Robinson, 2004:1). Basketball players have become so idolized in the eyes of young

Author Kris Vervaecke wrote an essay titled, "A Spectator's Notebook," for Writers in Sports. She talked about sports and how they affect different generations. Vervaecke supports her claim by showing how much she loves sports and by using her children as examples throughout the essay. Her son, Ben, represents strength, determination, and talent because of how successful he was in golf, and before he leaves for college he puts in Michael Jordan’s Air Time, that united Ben and Vervaecke. On the other hand, Vervaecke’s daughter, Emily, is a bench-warmer and was told she is only smart not athletic, so she was “benched” in the classroom. She then talks about her other son, Andrew, and describes him as the true athlete of the family because of how much people liked him. Vervaecke’s purpose is to show that sports are not just about something fun to do or watch, but can have a motivational impact that can affect someone's emotions, and she does this by developing an influential tone.  Although Vervaecke mainly talks about her experiences and her childrens throughout the essay, her experiences apply to many students across the country. Many student-athletes are very successful in their futures because of what sports have taught them. Students should be involved in sports because student-athletes learn responsibility, how to manage their time, and take care of their psychological

Have you ever wanted something so bad but kept failing at it? In Full Court Press by Mike Lupica, a teenager dreams of going pro and go to the NBA he will receive a lot of deliberation and obstacles to do so. The protagonist, Lonzo Gerard, is passionate, doesn’t give up, talented, 6’2, a stalwart type of person, and has a lot of heart. Michael De La Cruz, Eddie Holtz these 2 people interact with the protagonist well they both believe in Lonzo and give him a chance very encouraging people. The genre of the novel is fiction, the setting of the book takes place in Europe the city of Monte De Carlo.

It’s often an uphill fight. The ego-driven culture of basketball, and society in general, militates against cultivating this kind of selfless action, even for members of a team whose success as individuals in tied directly to the group performance. Our society places such a high premium on individual achievement, it’s easy for players to get blinded by their own self-importance and lose a sense of interconnectedness, the essence of teamwork.”

Thesis: This paper argues that basketball is the most difficult sport, for a number of reasons that will be pointed out through the literature on the game, the coaches, and the players.

“This is why I play basketball,” declares Savannah, “for the pleasure, not what the score is in the final seconds of the game.” We are all thinking it, but someone finally says it.

I will never forget the day that I abandoned my trophies. They formerly stood, luminous yet dust covered on the highest shelf in my room, tall and proud, unlike my contempt. Gilded basketballs no longer rounded, resembled deflated balloons. As I ripped them off their ledge, lint covered my hands, reminding me of wiping my shoes off every chance I could on the court. But, that life was long gone, and it didn’t have the power to affect my future anymore.

Imagine having to balance basketball, stubborn teammates, homework, tutoring, fashion shows, daily practices, career stress, and above all that, guy drama, in your everyday life. In the non-fiction teen novel, “Head Games” by Keri Mikulski we’re introduced to Taylor Thomas who has to go through just that. Taylor Thomas is a total all-star on the basketball court. Off-court, not so much. As the novel progresses we get to know Taylor better and can identify with the everyday obstacles she has to endure and throughout it all, she shows herself to be determined, naive and loyal.