Night Hoops

Trent Dawson is the second main character. The novel centers on him, as his fate provides the mystery that propels the narrative forward. The characters wonder about the extent of Trent’s involvement in the animal abuse and the shooting, and they’re also not sure if Trent will join Zack. Yet Trent can’t tell his story on his own. He needs Nick; in this way, Trent and Nick are allies as characters and storytellers. Through Nick, Trent receives visibility.

Trent, too, is a dynamic character. Part 1 starts with him violently charging into Nick during a pick-up basketball game. Part 2 begins with Trent and Zack almost killing Nick. Trent initially comes across as a vicious bully. Trent doesn’t have much dialogue, but the other characters vouch for his redeemable traits. Steve says, “I feel if he could make the varsity, it might turn him around. He might learn some discipline, dedicate himself to something” (121). O’Leary demonstrates his faith by tolerating Trent’s volatile behavior and not kicking him off the team, as he believes in Judging People Based on Their Present and Not Their Past. Nick is Trent’s biggest champion, giving him a place to stay, feeding him, and convincing him not to join Zack. As Trent stays in Bothell, he reveals his growth from a threatening presence to a more mindful person.

Trent’s most vocal moments relate to the explanation of Zack’s crimes. At first, he claims he wasn’t involved in the animal abuse and the shooting. Later, he revises his story and says he killed some of the animals and pressured Zack to get revenge against Michael. Arguably, the story that makes Trent guilty is a distortion. Feeling like almost everyone in Bothell has already written him off, Trent tells Nick, “I just don’t fit with guys like you. I never have and I never will” (355). Rather than prove people wrong, Trent makes them think they’re right. Yet Trent’s appearance at the final Garfield game indicates that his actions are not entirely abhorrent, and he likely had a minor or secondary role in Zack’s criminal behavior.

Scott Abbott is Nick’s older brother, and he’s Nick’s foil and antagonist. While Nick and Scott both have a knack for basketball, Scott lacks the dedication to the sport. He’d rather play in the jazz band with his girlfriend, Katya. Dad sees Scott as a way to produce the basketball career that he lost. Yet Scott doesn’t want Dad to vicariously live through him. The constant pressure Dad puts on Scott makes Scott a sympathetic character. He’s the target of an overbearing father. Yet Scott pushes back, telling Dad, “You want me to be the big basketball star you never were. Is that it? Well, I’m not going to be” (58). This demonstrates his determination and self-assuredness. In Part 1, Scott experiences growth. He stands up to his father, renounces basketball, and dedicates himself to his passion, jazz.

In the following parts, Scott becomes a stagnant character and less sympathetic. He displays no compassion for Trent and regularly fights with Nick over Nick’s allegiance to Trent. Nick believes Scott gloats when the Dawson brothers get in trouble, taking pleasure in their misfortune. When Nick pushes Mom to give Trent a ride to the Franklin game, Scott, fearing The Contagiousness of Bad Behavior, refuses to ride in the same car. Scott cuts off Dad, but he’s not unlike his father. Like Dad, Scott can be stubborn and overbearing.

Zack Dawson is a static antagonist. He’s a predominately hostile presence, and he doesn’t change throughout the novel. Nick sums up Zack’s character, stating, “Trent is bad news, but Zack is worse, both meaner and crazier” (8). Zach is central to the narrative. His dangerous, unmanageable behavior forces Trent into a life-changing choice: Stick with Zack or attach himself to Nick.

As people believe Zack and Trent are in cahoots, people automatically think Trent participates in Zack’s crimes and is inherently violent and mean-spirited like Zack. Thus, they assume Trent abused animals and helped shoot Michael. In Part 5, Chapter 5, Trent reinforces the narrative by painting himself as guilty as Zack. Zack’s one redeeming moment is in the past when he fed his younger brother. As Nick points out, one instance of compassion doesn’t mean that Trent must sacrifice a stable life for his violent older brother.

Nick refers to his mother and father as Mom and Dad, and Mom and Dad are each other’s foils. While Mom is pragmatic and thoughtful, Dad is arrogant and overbearing, pressuring Scott to play basketball. Then, when Dad focuses on Nick, he gives Nick various unhelpful basketball tips, leading his son to take a bad shot at the end of the game versus Juanita. Since Mom and Dad are opposites, they don’t get along. Nick establishes their contentious relationship at the start of the narrative. By the end of Part 1, they’re divorced.

Carl Deuker also juxtaposes Mom and Dad when it comes to Trent. Dad orders Nick to stay away from Trent, believing in The Contagiousness of Bad Behavior, but Mom lets Trent and Steve use the backyard basketball court. She also gives Trent a ride to the basketball game. Though she doesn’t believe Trent is innocent, she doesn’t dismiss him, making her one of the few people in the novel, aside from Nick, who shows compassion for Trent.

Before Nick plays basketball with Trent on the backyard court, he plays with Luke Jackson. A formidable scorer and talented player, Luke establishes a chemistry with Nick that helps them make varsity. Luke and Nick have their conflicts. Luke is honest with Nick, telling him that he tends to play selfishly.

Since Luke is Black, Deuker uses him to discuss race and criminal behavior. Luke claims if Trent were Black, no one would try to save him. Deuker also uses Luke to confront stereotypes about socioeconomic class and race. Nick says Luke lives “in the fanciest housing development in the area” (74). The implication is that Luke’s family is wealthier than most of the other families in the predominantly white community.

Steve Clay is Ericka’s boyfriend until Part 2, Chapter 6 when they break up and Steve moves in with his brother. Steve doesn’t change throughout the narrative. However, Nick’s perception of Steve changes. Initially, Nick focuses on his lined face and tattoo, implying Steve is odious. Steve’s association with the basketball court furthers his ostensibly negative characterization since the court represents an attack on Scott and Mom. Yet Steve turns out to be an admirable adult. He respectfully asks Mom permission to use the backyard basketball court because he believes in Trent.

Katya and Michael are sister and brother. Nick describes Katya as “beautiful, long and lanky, with red-blonde hair and blue eyes” (49). As Katya and Scott are romantic partners, Katya witnesses the conflicts involving the Dawson brothers. After they almost kill Nick, she shows Nick compassion, running him a bath and washing his clothes. This demonstrates her helpful, kind nature. Despite this, Katya has no compassion for the Dawson brothers. After Zack shoots her brother, she argues that Zack should stay in jail for life. She then hectors Nick for not visiting Michael in the hospital. Katya’s stringency upsets Mom. Nick says, “My mother interrupted. ‘That’s enough, Katya’” (264).

Michael attends a school for students with learning conditions, and the Dawson brothers routinely bully him for this. He is caring, regularly feeds ducks by the bike path, enjoys music, and sings Russian songs. While Michael’s character has little dialogue or direct visibility, he is central to the narrative. He witnesses the animal cruelty and tells the police, which incites the revenge plot. This shows his belief in justice and empathy for the animals injured or killed by the boys’ actions. However, as his testimony changes, the narrative also characterizes him as untrustworthy and uncertain. Nevertheless, the narrative needs Michael to intensify the conflict and its stakes.