Slam!

Benny “Ice” Reese is Slam’s oldest friend from childhood. Like Slam, Ice has grown up in Harlem. He is a senior at Carver and is a star basketball player on their team. Nicknamed Ice because he looks like the rapper Ice-T, Ice is, in many ways, a foil to Slam: There are many similarities in the way each has grown up, and yet, where Slam has no interest in ending up as one of “Harlem’s dead,” the term for a washed-up junkie or someone who has otherwise fallen victim to the neighborhood, Ice begins dealing drugs as a way to make money and earn respect.

Ice grows distant from Slam throughout the novel, likely because he feels guilty about their different paths. Ice faces off with Slam in the battle for the conference championship, and though he loses, he respects how much Slam’s game has grown. At a party after the game, Slam sees Ice dealing, and the two fight. The novel ends with Ice saying he will give up dealing, though it’s unclear whether he will.

Mtisha is Slam’s romantic interest and, by the end of the novel, his girlfriend. Mtisha is very intelligent with a bright future—Slam mentions many times that she will be going to college. Though Mtisha clearly has feelings for Slam from the moment she’s first introduced, she also is protective over herself and her body—she does not want to deal with Slam’s immature behavior, nor does she want to rush into having sex with Slam out of fear he’ll just run off once he gets what he wants. This fear is exacerbated when she hears about Slam making out with Kicky, though she eventually forgives him. Mtisha also encourages Slam in his schoolwork and even tutors him in math to help him achieve success in the classroom.

Unnamed but often referred to as “Moms,” Slam’s mom is supportive, compassionate, and devoted. She supports Slam in everything he does, encouraging him to improve his academics but giving him the freedom to figure out how to do so on his own terms. She works a lot in order to support her family, especially when her husband—Slam’s father—has a hard time finding work. She is also very devoted to visiting and helping her ailing mother in the hospital. All of these traits are ones Slam admires in her, and with her support, he learns that his future is his responsibility.