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.
Symbols & Motifs
The Backyard Basketball Court
The basketball court in the Abbott’s backyard starts as an oppressive space. To create it, Dad destroys Mom’s rose garden. He then uses the court to pressure Scott to commit to basketball when Scott’s genuine passion is jazz music. The presence of the court doesn’t bring the Abbott family positive moments; rather, it multiplies their conflicts. After Nick beats Scott in a one-on-one game on the court, Dad tries to hector Scott into playing Nick again. Scott replies, “You want me to be the big basketball star you never were. Is that it? Well, I’m not going to be […] So spend your time with [Nick], and leave me alone” (58). In the next chapter—Part 1, Chapter 8—Mom notes the negative impact of the court, leading Dad to leave and the couple to divorce.
With Dad not in charge of the court, the space gradually turns into a symbol of inclusivity. Now, it’s mostly positive. Luke and Nick practice on the court, building a chemistry that helps them make the varsity team. Mom lets Steve and Trent use the court, which pushes Trent away from Zack and toward a close relationship with Nick. After Steve leaves, Nick hears Trent practicing alone, and Nick, though it’s his court, asks to join. Trent lets him. The moment cements their committed friendship, and it wouldn’t have occurred without the court transforming from an oppressive to a healing space.
Jazz
Jazz is a symbol pitted against basketball and initially framed as its adversary; Scott wants to focus on jazz, but Dad pressures Scott to concentrate on basketball so that he can vicariously live through his eldest son. As Scott stops playing basketball altogether, the novel depicts that basketball and jazz can’t coexist. The conclusion furthers a trope that separates music and art from sports. A common perspective is that sports, as opposed to art, require little thought. While Scott believes that basketball is a game and nothing more, Nick and Trent demonstrate that the game has far-reaching consequences. As a result, the symbol supports the theme of The Off-the-Court Impact of Basketball.
In one scene, jazz and basketball come together. While Nick plays Dad one-on-one, Nick hears, “Something by Miles Davis probably, because Scott was always talking about Miles Davis” (105). Thus, the canonized 20th-century jazz musician provides the soundtrack from one of Nick and Dad’s games. The moment subverts the adversarial symbolism and alludes to the compatibility between jazz and basketball. Indeed, star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell explained how jazz improved his game, as the genre calls for the same type of improvisation as the sport (Amick, Sam. “NBA On Track(S): A Closer Look at the Music Players Listen to and What It Means to Them.” The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2020). Similar to Mitchell, Nick makes spontaneous choices that impact or determine the outcome of the respective game.
Fathers and Sons
The motif of fathers and sons supports the novel’s key themes. Dad believes in The Contagiousness of Bad Behavior, fearing Trent’s actions will rub off onto his son. He judges Trent on his violent past and tries to keep Nick away from him. Nick sees how basketball changes Trent beyond the sport, further developing The Off-the-Court Impact of Basketball, and ignores his Dad. As Dad doesn’t change, he grows increasingly toxic. Mom gets a divorce from him, Scott cuts off contact, and Nick hangs out with him but views him as a mindless person. Nick says, “He went on and on, giving me his same old lecture” (320). During the first part of the novel, Nick craves a relationship with Dad. As Nick grows and Dad stays the same, Nick’s main concern becomes Trent.
Trent’s legal/biological father isn’t present, but he has a father figure in Steve Clay. Their relationship juxtaposes the relationship between Scott, Nick, and their father. By playing basketball with Trent at night, Steve pushes Trent in a positive direction and is committed to Judging People Based on Their Present and Not Their Past. 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). When they play, Steve isn’t overbearing like Dad; instead, Steve offers simple words of encouragement, like “nice shot.” While playing basketball with Dad distresses Scott and Nick, listening to Steve and Trent play basketball “soothes” Nick.
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By Carl Deuker
