Mr. Ross cuts seventh-grader Danny from the basketball team, claiming that he's too short, but people speculate that the enmity between Ross and Danny's father, a divorced ex-NBA player, lies behind the rebuff. Danny and his father start their own team in retaliation, but Danny finds himself forced to assume the coaching duties when unexpected problems crop up. New York Daily News sports columnist Mike Lupica loads his novel with unusual details about the game and provides a rousing climactic showdown. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.