High school senior point guard Jonas Dolan is on the fast track to a basketball career until an unthinkable choice puts his future on the line.

Elijah, seventeen, has always been sure of just one thing--basketball--and believes it will be his way out of West Baltimore, but when gang violence knocks him down, helping a veteran repair his rickety home helps Elijah see what really matters.

Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health.

Ty is very proud of his father's accomplishments as a U.S. Army sargeant, but when a brain injury and partial paralysis send his father home from Afghanistan in a wheelchair, Ty finds it hard to balance schoolwork, basketball, a girlfriend, and friends with the time and effort required to care for him.

"Isaiah is a hot-shot freshman, talented and hardworking enough to be on the varsity basketball team at one of the top private high schools in Detroit. The problem is, his family is breaking apart and he is losing street-cred with his new suburban address. Will Isaiah be able to rise above the taunts -- real or imagined -- from teammates and opponents? Will he be able to overcome the destruction of his family?"--Page 4 of cover.

Sixteen-year-old "Slam" Harris is counting on his noteworthy basketball talents to get him out of the inner city and give him a chance to succeed in life, but his coach sees things differently.

"It seems like Sage's whole world is on fire the summer before she starts seventh grade. As house after house burns down, her Bushwick neighborhood gets referred to as "The Matchbox" in the local newspaper. And while Sage prefers to spend her time shooting hoops with the guys, she's also still trying to figure out her place inside the circle of girls she's known since childhood. A group that each day, feels further and further away from her. But...

Gus is excited for basketball this year, but he is disappointed to find that his team's center, Steve Kerrigan, likes poking fun at him for his Dominican heritage, telling him to go play baseball instead. Then, when the team gets a new player--a girl and one of Gus' best friends--things get more complicated. Gus starts questioning if he belongs in this town and school at all.

Stories and poems about playing basketball.

"Rhino is one of Bridgewater's best basketball players - except when it comes to making free throws. It's not a big deal, until he begins receiving strange threats. If Rhino can't make his shots at the free throw line, someone will start hurting the people around him. Everyone's a suspect: a college recruiter, Rhino's jealous best friend, and the father Rhino never knew - who recently escaped from prison"-- Cover verso.