51 pages • 1 hour read
Carl DeukerNight Hoops
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2000A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Judging People Based on Their Present and Not Their Past
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of physical abuse, graphic violence, and bullying.
The narrative depends on seeing a person for their present behavior, not their past conduct. The primary conduit for the theme is Trent. Most of the characters dismiss Trent because of his reputation as a bully. Nick shows that Trent isn’t a kind person. He attacks Trent in Part 1, Chapter 1, and in Part 2, Chapter 5, he and Zack almost kill Nick. Though Nick doesn’t tell the police, he doesn’t want to be around Trent. He bemoans having him in his classes, and he complains when Mom agrees to let Trent and Steve use the backyard basketball court. At this point, Nick’s attitude is legitimate. What he sees is Trent’s violent, bullying conduct, and he doesn’t want to be around such a volatile person.
Basketball allows Trent to reconfigure his identity. He plays hard at practice and on Nick’s basketball court. Nick recognizes Trent’s changes, so Nick revises his evaluation of Trent. Instead of avoiding Trent, Nick seeks him out. Nick describes the transformation, “There are moments in your life when you know you’ve got to go in one direction or another. I took a deep breath, exhaled. Then I pulled myself off the bed, changed into my sweats, and tramped downstairs and out the back door” (220). Nick goes in the “direction” toward Trent. Understanding that the current Trent is a true representation of his character, Nick becomes Trent’s biggest supporter, and though Trent experiences setbacks, Nick’s investment prevents him from returning to the role of an unmanageable bully.
Yet many people in the Bothell community won’t redefine their perception of Trent. Scott, Katya, Dad, and a majority of the Bothell students assume Trent is guilty. Aware of Trent’s record, they assume that he can’t or won’t become a benevolent person. Trent sums up their attitude, “Nothing changes, Nick. Nothing and nobody,” and Nick counters, “So the team, you and me being friends, all we’ve gone through—it doesn’t count for anything?” (357). Nick’s response undercuts Trent’s statement. He believes Trent has changed, and Trent should judge himself for who he is now, not what he’s been. Trent shows that people can be violent and harm others with their actions but grow out of it. His character also demonstrates the necessity of compassion. For Trent to move on from his unacceptable behavior, he needs people like Nick to believe in him, particularly his ability to grow and change positively. The people who won’t let Trent reform make him think that he must remain a hateful force.
The Contagiousness of Bad Behavior
The narrative emphasizes that unsavory behavior is communicable. If one character acts badly, then other characters will follow their lead. As with the first theme, this theme centers on Trent. Nick’s father doesn’t want him or Scott around the Dawsons, believing that they’ll corrupt his sons. In Part 1, Dad calls them “gang wannabes.” After Michael is shot, Dad increases the hyperbole, telling Nick, “And from now on, as far as you’re concerned Trent Dawson doesn’t exist. You see him, you treat him like he’s a ghost. I don’t want you to have anything to do with him” (250). The irony is that Trent doesn’t malignly influence Nick; rather, Nick has a positive impact on Trent. Because Nick doesn’t view Trent as a contagious disease, Trent realizes that he can have a different role within the community. By appearing at the final game, he cements his new place within Bothell. Thus, problematic actions aren’t infectious but alterable. A person like Zack can stay reproachable, but another person, like Trent, can reform themselves. As Trent doesn’t go with Zack to shoot Michael, Trent shows that even a cruel person like Zack can’t force someone to commit criminal acts. The scene demonstrates that it’s realistic to expect people to stand up to bad behavior and not perpetuate it.
Dad adds another layer to the contagion of bad behavior. Mom claims Dad has made Scott hate him, and soon, Dad will make Scott hate her. As Dad doesn’t change, Dad remains a toxic presence. Outside of the house, he has a negative influence. After the Sonics intrasquad game, Dad tells Nick, “You saw how Payton played tonight, how he took the game into his own hands at the end. That’s how I want you to play” (91). Nick adopts Dad’s advice and tries to take the game-winning shot against Juanita. Dad’s coaching leads to failure, and the Cougar players distance themselves from Nick. Nick says, “[I]t was as if I had some contagious disease” (175). Here, negative behavior merges with unthinking advice. Nick puts Dad’s beliefs into practice to his detriment. The other players stay away from Nick, believing that his mishap will infect them. In a sense, it did, since Nick’s choice not to pass the ball made them lose. Yet the players lose sight of the fact that there’s another game and a chance for them, and Nick, to improve on the court.
The Off-the-Court Impact of Basketball
The novel shows the far-reaching impact of sports—basketball, specifically—by detailing how what happens on the court can impact life off it. In the narrative, basketball takes a holistic meaning. Steve spotlights the potential benefits of basketball, telling Mom, “I feel if [Trent] could make the varsity, it might turn him around. He might learn some discipline, dedicate himself to something” (121). Steve’s instincts prove true. Trent’s connection to basketball changes his characterization. His experience on Nick’s basketball court and the assorted high school courts transforms him. Through basketball, he pivots from an unsalvageable bully to a valuable member of the Cougars and the Bothell community. When Trent finally appears in the last game against Garfield, the crowd chants his name. Basketball gives Trent acceptance, helping him realize that he can stay in Bothell with Nick.
While Trent represents the off-the-court benefits of basketball, Dad reveals how a person’s experiences with basketball can hurt people. Nick provides a snapshot of Dad’s basketball career:
As a junior he’d had feelers from some major colleges. But in his senior year his coach told him to work on his passing and rebounding, and not to worry about scoring. He did what his coach said, only it didn’t pay off. His rebounds and assists went up a little, but his points per game dropped a lot. College coaches stopped calling (13).
Dad’s disappointing outcome as a teen continues to harm his relationships with people as an adult. He views Scott not as an autonomous individual but as an extension of himself. He wants Scott to have the career that he lost when he started playing unselfishly. Dad’s determination to make up for his thwarted opportunity prevents a healthy relationship with Scott and Mom. Their fights and divorce are largely due to Dad’s insistence that Scott play basketball despite his lack of desire to continue with the sport.
While Nick wants to play basketball and have a substantive relationship with Dad, Dad’s on-the-court experiences prevent it. When he tells Nick to play selfishly at the end of games, he’s telling himself that he should have played more selfishly in high school. Nick adopts Dad’s advice, and the failed shot has off-the-court consequences; this causes Nick to realize that Dad isn’t the best coach, so he should ignore further suggestions.
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