Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball courtbut don't tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny's father, still smarting from his own troubles, knows Danny isn't the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and together, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured.
Praise
"Lupica creates a sports novel that is rich in details; this is one of the few novels about basketball, for example, that actually mentions zone defenses rather than the perennial one-on-one scenes in most basketball novels. Many fans of sports fiction will like this."
Booklist
"In a story every bit as exciting and tear-jerking as any novel or movie in its genre – Hoosiers, Mighty Ducks, The Bad News Bears – Danny gets his chance at glory. Lupica... has the knowledge of the game and the lean prose to make this a taut, realistic story not just about the game but about heart, character, and family. A winner."
Kirkus Reviews
"Sports columnist Lupica clearly shoots from the heart in this appealing novel centering on a talented basketball player... Lupica thus sets the scene for on-court action, and delivers play-by-play descriptions of the team practices and games that will thrill basketball buffs. Genuinely affecting."
Publishers Weekly
"Lupica, a youth coach and father of four, knows his stuff. The jargon, emotion, and culture of middle school sports permeate every page... This book just can't miss."
Cleveland Plain Dealer