Nick and Trent are rivals on the basketball team who learn to work together. As their teamwork improves, personal issues arise that threaten to separate them. In the climactic championship game, Trent must decide whether to face legal problems or support his team. In the end, both play and find acceptance through demonstrating the value of cooperation over individual skills.

1. Night Hoops by Carl Deuker
Overview by Michelle Lau

2. Exposition
• 2000s
• During high school year
• USA, Small suburb of Seattle
Nick’s backyard
• Bothell High School
• Nick’s backyard Bothell High School
Setting

3. Exposition
Nick Abbott Protagonist Trent Dawson Antagonist
• Sophomore
• Basketball lover
• Divorced parents
• Good grades
• Middle sized (point guard)
• Personality:
• Hardworking
• Persistent • Aggressive • Masters game on
• Loyal • Quiet court
• Generous
• Big and Strong = • Angry
• Other characters:
• Trent: Sympathetic rebounder • Nick’s neighbor
• Father: not as talented as his older • Talented • Lack of effort in
son basketball player academics
• Coach: selfish on the court
• Basketball lover
• Luc: caring best friend
• “troublemaker”
Characters Protagonist & Antagonist

4. Exposition
Scott Abbott Father Abbott
• Nick’s older brother
• Talented basketball player • Father of Scott and Nick
• No interest in basketball • Prizes Scott more
• Father Abbott coaches him over Nick • Coaches Nick about basketball
(Father ignores Nick)
• Big impact to Nick’s basketball plays
• Loves music
• Great academic grades • Divorced with ex-wife
• His girlfriend is a music player • Has new girlfriend
Luke Jackson Coach O’Leary Zack Dawson
• Nick’s best friend • Nick’s varsity coach • Trent’s older brother
• In Bothell High School • Likes Nick’s passion and game • Troublemaker
• Sophomore • Made Nick sitting on bench • Aggressive, big and
• Likes Trent’s talent in basketball strong
• Basketball player
• Always gives second chances to • Gives Trent his title
• African American • Was charged by the
people
• Detests Trent Dawson police
Other Characters

5. Rising Action
• Nick, Luke, Trent joins basketball varsity
• Nick got Father Abbott’s complements
• Wins numerous of games
• From Father Abbott’s phrase “take the
chances”, Nick starts to become selfish on the court
• Lack of teamwork
• Nick then becomes the bench guy
• Trent starts to miss practice
• Trent’s father asked permission for Trent to practice
at Nick’s backyard
• Nick fails in academics and his passion in basketball
• Nick sees Trent passion and changes his perspective
of him
• Plays basketball outside at the yard together
• Becomes best friends and learns the game on court
• Both practices basketball and studies together
Rising Action

6. Rising Action
Character vs. Character
Nick Abbott vs. Trent Dawson
• Nick detests how Trent acts
• Nick thinks Trent is a troublemaker
• Detests each other
• Nick, as the point guard, never
passes the ball to Trent, a talent
basketball player
• In games, the team loses chances to
score more points
• Trent was in fight with Nick because
of his Nick’s attitude in basketball. Character vs. Self
Nick Abbott vs. Self • Loses teamwork
• Father Abbott told • Force his plays
him to save chances • Becomes bench guy
for himself • Fails in games and
• He starts to be in academics
selfish on the court • Lost his passion
as being the point
guard
Primary Conflicts

7. Rising Action
Character vs. Society Character vs. Character
Trent Dawson vs. Police Nick’s mom vs. Father Abbott
• Zack and Trent involved in being • Had long-term fights
against a law, which they are • Decided to divorce
wanted by the police • Separates the family
• Trent wasn’t really involved, it
was all Zack
Character vs. Characters Character vs. Character
Nick Abbott vs. classmates & teammates Scott Abbott vs. Father Abbott
• Scott always hated basketball even
• Trent was a detested student in Bothell though his talent could bring him a
High super star title
• Nick became friends with Trent, and • Father Abbott has forced him to
soon became ignored by his good practice what he doesn’t enjoy doing
friends, even Luke • Father Abbott wants him to quit music
Secondary Conflicts

8. Climax
Trent and Nick both got back into the game
because they learned the answer to their
loved sport. Their teamwork have got them
numerous of wins and everything just seems
like the best it can go. Until, Nick was alone
in the backyard one day, waiting for Trent.
Trent was with his older brother Zack. Trent
was next to the guns, gunshots, and a dead
body of what was killed… Trent was
involved with the police, but he have done
nothing, it was all his brother. He has to make
a choice if he would go to the championship
and be in front of the police, or leave with his
brother.
Climax

9. Falling Action
• Trent misses practice with his varsity team
• Trent misses school, and disappears for a few
days
• Nick continues going to practices and is
cooperating well with his teammates, because ?
they have accepted Trent and Nick
• Trent sometimes will practice in Nick’s backyard
giving chances for Nick to have a talk with him
• He is still on his way deciding with the
championship waiting for him
?
Falling Action

10. Falling Action
• The championship game started
• Nick playing point guard cooperating well with teamwork
• Waiting for Trent to be there
• Zack was caught
• At the end of the end of the game, Trent appears
• They both walk out of the gym after the game enjoy the nice weather
outside
Resolution

11. Falling Action
• In any team sport, teamwork is the most important; “to
win, sometimes you have to pass”
• Individual skills cannot win anything in team sports
• Never force things, let it come to you
• Sometimes, when the chance comes to you, step up and
take it, but don’t force the chance to come
• Never judge people by how they look, act, and their
family background
• Never give up
• Practice makes improvement
• When you fall, just try to pull yourself back up
Themes