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This quote relates to the main characters in my book, but the main ones that never gave up no matter what are Roko, Malcolm, and Michael. These 3 characters in my book never gave up despite circumstances for each of them. Roko had a bad life,coming from Croatia and at first his teammates didn't want to play with him because of that. Michael was struggling living up to his famous name and it was nerve wracking for him because he thought that he wouldn't be able to do it. Malcolm had to live in project housing in Detroit because despite his father working hard, they were still very poor but he didn't give up and now he is amazing at basketball and will go to the NBA because he is so good.

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"Don't give up. Don't ever give up. - Jim Valvano"(Volponi 200).

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The theme of this book is that if you work hard enough to get something, you just might be able to get it. This theme impacts me because I see throughout this book that if you work hard enough you can accomplish almost anything. Like with Malcolm he wanted to accomplish getting to the final four, he did that with hard work, because it definitely wasn't easy. Another example of the book showing me that with hard work you can accomplish anything is with Roko. He didn't have a good life, but he loved basketball and he worked very hard so that he could play college basketball and eventually, he did. Because of this he had a better life and this shows me that if I work hard at school I can get into a good college and eventually get a good job.

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This quote relates very closely to Malcolm McBride in this book because at first when he starts playing and we know about him, he tries playing as an individual because he thinks he is good enough to do most of the work to win by himself, sure, he is obviously really good at basketball and could do really well but he can't win a game of basketball by himself. Later in the book he realizes that he has to work with his teammates if they want to get to the final round of the final four. Eventually he does realize this and works with them and they are able to win

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"Five guys on the court working together can achieve more than five talented individuals who come and go as individuals - Kareem Abdul Jabbar"(Volponi 58).

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This image is plain and simple, but in the Final four it represents so much to each player, because each of them are complex and why they want to play is definitely not simple. For Roko Bacic, it represents his ticket to a better life after having a bad one, it also represents to him a reminder of his uncle because his uncle is the one who taught him what he knows now about basketball and what shaped him into who he is. For Malcolm McBride, it represents his ticket into the NBA so him and his family, after his sister's death can have a better life so they can stop living in poor conditions in housing projects, where there is also a lot of crime. This for Michael Jordan represents what it means to be a basketball player, he has to live up to the name of the best player in basketball history, which he has hard living up to and may not have enough self confidence, too. This image for Crispin Rice represents how important his girlfriend is to him, which is why he asked to marry her, but also represents that he and all his teammates and everyone in college ball, worked extremely hard to get there.

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I agree with this book review because this is what the book is about, 4 complex people, on 2 different teams who compete against one another in the semifinals of the final four. This also is very true when it comes to the importance in each players stories. Michael's burden, Malcolm's desire, Roko's wanting to get in the NBA because it is a ticket to a better life. this also shows how the book tells the story, I agree the way it is told is very well written, the way it goes back to some of their past lives. It also somewhat speaks out against the NCAA because while it says in the book and in the review, that while players work hard on and off the court they don't get paid, but the NCAA rakes in millions and millions of dollars based off of the players hard work. Also though some players have to pay to go to college and play for the college team, unless offered a scholarship. The main, important parts of each character is in the book and the book review and it makes it so we are able to go back and see what happened in part of their lives, to see what shaped them into the players and people that they are now. For example, Roko's uncle is the one who taught him basketball, that shaped Roko into part of who he is now. Each person has their own story but it is mainly based on 1 or 2 events that has happened and in this review it tells us those main events of each person, or why they are who they are.

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School Library Journal:

/* Starred Review */ Gr 8 Up — The  fates of four  college basketball players come together as their teams meet in a semifinal game of the  NCAA Basketball Tournament. Malcolm McBride and Michael Jordan (who bears the  burden of being named after the  game's greatest player) are members of the  vaunted Michigan State Spartans while Roko Bacic and Crispin Rice play for the  underdog Troy University Trojans. Their stories are told by means of flashbacks, journal entries, newspaper accounts, and TV interviews weaving in and out of the  play-by-play. Brash, outspoken Malcolm, who grew up in a crime-ridden Detroit housing project and whose sister was killed in a drive-by shooting, makes no secret of his desire to secure a lucrative pro contract after one year of college basketball. For Roko, basketball is his ticket to a better life after his escape from war-torn Croatia. Michael's self-confidence has suffered from his inability to live up to his famous name, and Crispin is having second thoughts about a hasty (and public) proposal to a possibly faithless girlfriend. Malcolm, Michael, and Roko come across as being especially complex, multifaceted, driven individuals. Malcolm is in many ways the  least likable but most compelling of the  protagonists. He boldly speaks truth to power in challenging a college athletic system that routinely exploits student athletes while raking in hundreds of millions of dollars from their unpaid labors. With exciting game action and a candid exploration of the  hypocrisy inherent so-called amateur sports, this gritty, realistic, and riveting novel deserves the  wide audience it will no doubt attract.—Richard Luzer, Fair Haven Union High School, VT --Richard Luzer (Reviewed March 1 , 2012) (School Library Journal, vol 58, issue 03, p177)