Jazz Smith-Mohapatra is the toughest and best player on her basketball team -- and this year she's determined to lead the team to a championship win. But in the last game of the regular season, Jazz sets an offensive move called a pick and roll. A player on the other team doesn't see it coming; she crashes into Jazz, and then onto the floor. Though it's a play that Jazz has done many times, she's never hurt anyone before. Now there's going to be a Fair Play Commission hearing to determine whether the play was legal or not. But even worse than the possibility of being suspended for the playoffs, Jazz's teammates are suddenly questioning her physical style of play and whether the team can make it all the way to the pennant without her. [Fry reading level - 3.0

"Nine all-stars in the field of YA lit contribute stories. . . . An anthology of stand-alone stories that invite — no, demand — a straight read-through." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) Nine of YA literature’s top writers, including Walter Dean Myers, Rita Williams-Garcia, Adam Rapp, Joseph Bruchac, and Sharon Flake reveal how it all goes down in a searing collection of short stories, in which each one picks up where the previous one ends. Characters weave in and out of narratives, perspectives change, and emotions play out for a fluid and fast-paced ode to the game of street basketball. Crackling with humor, grit, and streetball philosophy, and featuring poems and photographs by Charles R. Smith Jr., this anthology is a slam dunk.

From the critically acclaimed author of Amina’s Voice comes the first book in an exciting new middle grade series about a fourth-grader with big dreams of basketball stardom. Fourth grader Zayd Saleem has some serious hoop dreams. He’s not just going to be a professional basketball player. He’s going to be a star. A legend. The first Pakistani-American kid to make it to the NBA. He knows this deep in his soul. It’s his destiny. There are only a few small things in his way. For starters, Zayd’s only on the D-team. (D stands for developmental, but to Zayd it’s always felt like a bad grade or something.) Not to mention, he’s a bit on the scrawny side, even for the fourth grade team. But his best friend Adam is on the Gold Team, and it’s Zayd’s dream for the two of them to play together. His mom and dad don’t get it. They want him to practice his violin way more than his jump shot. When he gets caught blowing off his violin lessons to practice, Zayd’s parents lay down the ultimate punishment: he has to hang up his high tops and isn’t allowed to play basketball anymore. As tryouts for the Gold Team approach, Zayd has to find the courage to stand up for himself and chase his dream.

Kallana's father has suddenly decided that joining the basketball team will be a "character-building" experience for her. But she can't dribble, she can't sink a basket, and worst of all, she will have to wear one of those hideous uniforms

This engaging book showcases a girl preparing for her basketball game and making a basket! The book includes simple text and vibrant photos, making it a perfect choice for beginning readers. It also includes a table of contents, picture glossary, and index. This Little Blue Readers book is at Level 2, aligned to reading levels of grades K-1 and interest levels of grades PreK-2.

Tony loves basketball. But the game changed recently when his best friend, Dante, a hoops phenom, was killed by a police officer. Tony hopes he can carry on Dante's legacy by making the Sabres, the AAU basketball team Dante took to two national championships. Tony doesn't make the team, but Coach James likes what he sees from Tony at tryouts and offers him another chance: join the team as the statistician. With his community reeling and the team just finding its footing on the court, can Tony find a path to healing while helping to bring the Sabres a championship?

The Raptors are going co-edwhich means that for the first time ever, there will be girls on the team. Mason's willing to see what these girls can do, especially after meeting Cindy, who has some serious moves on the court. But the other guys aren't so sure about this...

Sixteen-year-old Salvador "Slam" Amaro thinks being the assistant coach of the Brookfield High School girls' basketball team will be an easy gig. Show up, run a few drills and pad his resumé so he can win a spot on the Ontario Provincial Under-17 team. But Slam's job suddenly gets a lot harder when the girls' coach and her daughter, the star point-guard, vanish after being threatened. Getting to the bottom of their disappearance puts Slam in confrontation with a mysterious stalker. But that's not his only problem. With the girls facing playoff elimination, Slam has to come up with some new coaching strategies while he battles some tough competitors for a place on the Ontario squad.

"With just a minute remaining on the game clock, Shohoku still trails Ryonan by four points. Hoping to put this match away for good, Ryonan hands the ball to their ace Sendoh, but they make the fatal error of overlooking the incredibly erratic (and at times phenomenally talented) Hanamichi. With a shot block that sets up a clinching basket for superstar Kaede Rukawa, Shohoku still has a chance for the win, but have they already chewed up too much time in the process?"--Cover.

Though they initially got off to a rocky start, Hanamichi and Ryota Miyagi quickly form a bound based on their mutual experiences with heartbreak (and being all-around losers when it comes to the ladies). Their unlikely camaraderie also helps in firing up the rest of the Shohoku team and gives everyone a substantial moral boost. This all comes to an abrupt halt, though, when a group of thugs with a score to settle with Ryota crash a practice session. Explosive personalities collide as everyone in attendance braces themselves for an all-out brawl!

"The fists continue to fly as Hanamichi and Ryota refuse to back down from their full-court rumble with a group of angry thugs. Luckily the fight comes to an abrupt halt when Kogure--one of the more sensible members of the Shohoku squad-begins reminiscing about one the combatants. He may be a punk now, but a little while ago, Hisashi Mitsui was a star player with almost limitless potential. Though a nasty injury cut his ambitions short, is Mitsui truly ready to give up on basketball forever?"--Page 4 of cover.

He tried to slam her with love, but she dunked his heart. R to L (Japanese Style). He tried to slam her with love, but she dunked his heart. As luck would have it, the basketball team narrowly avoids suspension over the all-out-brawl incident when Yohei and Mitsui's friends take responsibility. Now, with Mitsui back in the lineup for the first time in two years, Shohoku quickly resumes practice in preparation for their upcoming tournament. As punishment for the lack of discipline they displayed in the fight, though, Coach Anzai decides on a starting lineup for Shohoku's game without Hanamichi, Rukawa, Ryota and Mitsui. Can Anzai's squad hold their own when their best players (and perpetual problem children) ride the bench?

"Shoyo's ace, Fujima, drops himself into the lineup and quickly helps his team retake the lead from Shohoku, and despite struggling with fatigue, Mitsui stays on the floor as well. Realizing that they are the keys to winning the game, Coach Anzai focuses on both Mitsui's scoring finesse and Hanamichi's monstrous rebounding, but with only five minutes left on the clock, Shohoku will need to deliver, and fast ..."--Page 4 of cover.

Get ready for the greatest sports manga of all time! Reads R to L (Japanese Style). In a white-hot competition, you need your confidence to carry you to victory. In the Shohoku vs. Ryonan game, Akagi, still recovering from an ankle injury, has his confidence shaken when Ryonan's Uozumi knocks him down. Now doubting his effectiveness, Akagi begins deferring opportunities to his teammates. Ryonan seizes the chance to pull away, leaving Shohoku wondering how they're going to get their mojo back! Sakuragi's going to have to try something unthinkable to get Akagi back on his feet and his head in the game!

Get ready for the greatest sports manga of all time! Reads R to L (Japanese Style). Thanks to consecutive three-pointers by Mistui late in the first half of the game against Ryonan High, Shohoku High ends the half down by only six points. Rukawa's still got plenty of strength left and he's going to need it to face Ryonan's ace, Sendoh. The pressure on Ryonan continues to draw fouls from them--can Shohoku exploit this and pull ahead? Or is Ryonan's coach Taoka just waiting for Shohoku to trip themselves up?