The Beginning

Author's Note: I chose to write about this book because basketball is my life and means a lot to me.

There are 161,200 people who play basketball 58.5 % are males. There is one man behind this amazing invention. His name James Naismith and he changed sports forever. In the book Cages To Jump Shots By: Robert W. Peterson, shows how James Naismith has changed my life and many more peoples life’s as well. This is why he is one of the most important men in my life.

These are some reasons why he is one of the most important men in my life. One reason is because basketball is my life. Everything I do involves basketball. For example I do all my projects in computer publications basketball related. If someone would not have created this my life would be changed drastically. My life wouldn’t be as fun without basketball. The last way basketball changed my life was when my parents got divorced and even now when I am stressed out I go out and play basketball. It is a good way to get away from life for a while.

Although those were a lot of reasons why he meant so much to me, he was also very popular. The ways he is popular is he is the basketball hall of fame. But the way that people know him now is the Kansas University basketball court is named after him, because he taught there.

Lastly the ways that I can connect to James is he wasn’t the richest and didn’t have the best job so he wanted to create something. I am not the richest and I have always wanted to create something just like he did. Also James’s parents both died when he was 9 years old. My parents didn’t die but they are divorced so we both went through tough times when we were young.

These were just some reasons why James Naismith is one of the most men in my life. In the book Cages to Jump Shots by: Robert W. Peterson it shows how he was such a great man and changed people’s life. I hope with all this information and facts that you realize what a great man James is.

The Select Team

Author's Note: I wrote about this book because I can relates to it many ways.

Have you ever had the feeling of being cut from a basketball because of being small and short?  That is how Danny Walker felt in Travel Team by: Mike Lupica. They just judged him on his size and not his talent level.  I have read a lot of books but this one has the most meaning to me I can also relate to this book the best.

I have had the feeling of not making the team that I wanted to make like Danny did in the book Travel Team by: Mike Lupica. When I tried out for the Pewaukee Travel Team I made the “A” Team the first year but then the next two years I made the “B” team. I can relate to Danny because I also have more friends on the other team. Also I was very sad when I made the other team. Because I thought I was going to make the “A” team but I didn’t so I was disappointed.

Did you know that over 70% of kids that try out for a sports team don’t make it or quit in the U.S.A. That’s according to Michael Pfahl of life.famileducation.com this is a very disappointing but interesting stat. It is interesting because 23% of the kids that tried out for Pewaukee select basketball didn’t make it. But most of these kids tryout the next year. So they didn’t quit they kept trying out year after year.

How would you feel if you didn’t make the select team at your school?  Well I know how it feels and so does Danny walker in Travel Team by: Mike Lupica. These are some of the reasons why I can relate to this book and why it has so much meaning to me.