Hook Shot Hero Read Online Free PDF Page B

ball reaches the top of the arc, push off and straight up with your right foot. That way, you’ll be at the greatest-possible height just when you’re releasing the ball.”
    Tim made a face. “What are the chances my ‘greatest-possible height’ will be high enough to get the ball over Mike Gruber’s hands?” he asked.
    Dick smiled. “If you do the move right, your chances are very good. Imagine a line drawn from your left elbow to the upraised ball. It goes up an angle, right? So to reach the ball, Mike, or whoever is defending you, wouldn’t just have to jump up—he’d have to jump on top of you!” He shrugged. “Sure, he might get the ball, but he’d foul you in the process. Might even get called for a technical because it’d be a pretty flagrant foul. Now, let’s see you go through the whole motion a few times.”
    Tim took a moment to picture what he was supposed to do and then shot five pretend hooks.
    “Not bad!” Dick said. He picked up a basketball and tossed it to Tim. “Now with the ball. Aim for the hoop.”
    Tim’s first few attempts flew wide of their mark.
    “Eyes on the hoop, not your hands!” Dick corrected.
    Tim nodded. The next attempts hit the backboard but didn’t go in. Then, on his seventh try, the basketball kissed the glass and swished softly through the net’s strings.
    “I did it!” Tim cried. He hurried to retrieve the ball, set up for the shot again—and sank it!
    “Two in a row!” he crowed happily.
    Two became three, but his fourth one missed. Dick instructed him to try the same shot but with his other hand and from the other corner of the key. Tim was righthanded, so most of these attempts were way off. He didn’t mind, however. He knew it would take a lot of practice to get the shot to fall consistently, no matter where he was standing or which hand he was using. But he was going to keep trying because if Dick was right, he’d finally have something that would work against Mike Gruber!
    “I’m feeling really good about this shot,” he said to Dick.
    “You should,” Dick replied. “Of course, you’ll feel even better about it when you know you can hit it during practice or, better yet, a game.”
    Tim’s face fell. “Oh, man, that’s right! I’ve got to practice it when someone’s defending me. But who’s going to help me with that? I’ll tell you who—no one!”

10
    T he hook shot lesson came to an end a few minutes later because dinner was starting. Tim and Dick walked together into the dining hall, where Dick was immediately surrounded by people asking about his injury.
    Tim moved away to pick up his food. He sat down at an empty table to eat, chewing slowly as he thought about his newest predicament.
    The hook shot promised to be a very powerful tool. But the shot was worthless unless it worked during a game. And the only way to make it work during a game was to practice it in gamelike situations. To do that, he needed a defender.
    Dick would have been his first choice, but obviously, he was out.
    Then who? Tim glanced at the table where the other boys from the Eagles Nest had gathered. Sam? He’s been friendly, even when everyone else was ignoring me.
    Even as the thought crossed Tim’s mind, Sam said something that made Mike Gruber laugh uproariously. Tim shook his head. Sam was friendly—with everyone. If he helped Tim, would he be able to keep the practice sessions a secret from the others? Tim wasn’t sure.
    That was the trouble, Tim realized. He needed someone who knew how to play basketball well enough to defend against him. But if he was to keep his new weapon a secret from Mike, it would be best if that person wasn’t on the Eagles Nest team.
    Who do I know who fits that description?
    He finished his supper without coming up with the answer. He was on his way out the door when someone called his name.
    “Hey, Tim! Wait up!”
    Tim turned to see Billy hurrying toward him. “Hi, Billy, how’s it—” He stopped in mid-sentence