'Hoop wizard' Harry is relegated to his school's worst basketball team when he misses tryouts, but his new team has some surprises for him in this triumph-over-adversity story. Perfect for sports-mad kids and readers of series such as Patty Mills' Game Day.
After missing his eagerly awaited trial to play for the Under Sixteens Firsts, fourteen-year-old Harry Portelli has no choice but to play with the worst training team in the school.
The Redbacks are a mess. They can't pass. They can't shoot. They can't win.
This is not the future either Harry or his dad imagined. Harry has to dig deep to work out what basketball means to him and, with the help of surprising new friendships, he rediscovers his love for the sport as the Redbacks start to play like a team.
And then the school arranges a derby, the Redbacks against the Firsts, and Harry's heart sinks – the Redbacks are bound to be destroyed. But is winning all that matters? Harry learns that sometimes the sweetest shot is the one you get on the rebound.
A fast-paced feel-good story guaranteed to capture the imagination of readers of all levels by the bestselling author of Liz Watson's Diary of a Netball Star and Sam Kerr's Kicking Goals.
The Redbacks are a mess. They can't pass. They can't shoot. They can't win.
This is not the future either Harry or his dad imagined. Harry has to dig deep to work out what basketball means to him and, with the help of surprising new friendships, he rediscovers his love for the sport as the Redbacks start to play like a team.
And then the school arranges a derby, the Redbacks against the Firsts, and Harry's heart sinks – the Redbacks are bound to be destroyed. But is winning all that matters? Harry learns that sometimes the sweetest shot is the one you get on the rebound.
A fast-paced feel-good story guaranteed to capture the imagination of readers of all levels by the bestselling author of Liz Watson's Diary of a Netball Star and Sam Kerr's Kicking Goals.
Published June 30, 2026
Ages 10+