Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball

Taking over a rowdy gym class right before winter vacation is not something James Naismith wants to do at all.

The last two teachers of this class quit in frustration. The students--a bunch of energetic young men--are bored with all the regular games and activities. Naismith needs something new, exciting, and fast to keep the class happy--or someone's going to get hurt. Saving this class is going to take a genius.

Discover the true story of how Naismith invented basketball in 1891 at a school in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Author: John Coy
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (R)
Published: 01/01/2026
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.35lbs
Size: 10.20h x 8.30w x 0.20d
ISBN: 9798348056087
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.6
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 156779 / Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball

About the Author
Coy, John: - John Coy is the author of young adult novels, the 4 for 4 middle-grade series, and nonfiction and fiction picture books including Hoop Genius, Game Changer, Their Great Gift, Dads, If We Were Gone, and Where We Come From. He has received numerous awards for his work including a Marion Vannett Ridgway Award, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor, a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year, and the Burr/Warzalla Award for Distinguished Achievement in Children's Literature. John lives by the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.