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Outside Shooter
A first-year coach attempts to shape up an uncontrollable yet invaluable high school basketball player who alienates himself from his team with his outrageous behavior that threatens not only his own career but the success of the whole team. Reprint.
- GenresFiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
5 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Thomas J. Dygard
23 books11 followersIn His Own Words...
"I can't remember when I first started writing fiction. it was shortly after I began reading fiction, I'm sure.
"I've been a voracious reader for as long as I can remember. As a teenager, I read a lot of the same kinds of books I'm writing-the John R. Tunis sports stories, for example. I also read a lot of history when I was young-and I still do now. It's always fascinated me.
"When I was a high school senior, I was offered two jobs, both of the apprentice sort. One was in a commercial artist's studio, on a recommendation from my art teacher. The other was in the sports department of the local newspaper, following work on the school paper. I took the sportswriting job.
"For four years I worked for the Arkansas Gazette while attending the University of Arkansas, first at Little Rock and then at Fayetteville, covering football, baseball, basketball, boxing, golf, tennis-everything that made up the sports page. After graduation, I joined the Associated Press as a newsman at Little Rock and later worked in AP bureaus in Detroit, Birmingham, and New Orleans. Eventually, I was Chief of Bureau in Little Rock, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Tokyo, Japan. I retired from the Associated Press in 1993 and now live in Evansville, Indiana.
"For me, writing fiction is fun, relaxing, and satisfying-an enjoyable change of pace, a recharging of the batteries.
"My first young adult novel, Running Scared, got started one night in a motel room in Champaign, Illinois, when I had nothing else to do. Before long, the story had me in its grip. The creation of the thing was a fascinating experience. I liked the characters. I liked leading them through their problems to their triumphs. I kept going until one day it was finished.
"I did not set out to write for young people. Looking back, I think it was something of a blessing that 1 did not. As I wrote Running Scared, I imagined the reader as an adult, but after it was finished, it seemed more appropriate for young readers. The result, I think, was that the story did not talk down to teenagers. In every book I've written since, I've tried to keep the same approach."
"I can't remember when I first started writing fiction. it was shortly after I began reading fiction, I'm sure.
"I've been a voracious reader for as long as I can remember. As a teenager, I read a lot of the same kinds of books I'm writing-the John R. Tunis sports stories, for example. I also read a lot of history when I was young-and I still do now. It's always fascinated me.
"When I was a high school senior, I was offered two jobs, both of the apprentice sort. One was in a commercial artist's studio, on a recommendation from my art teacher. The other was in the sports department of the local newspaper, following work on the school paper. I took the sportswriting job.
"For four years I worked for the Arkansas Gazette while attending the University of Arkansas, first at Little Rock and then at Fayetteville, covering football, baseball, basketball, boxing, golf, tennis-everything that made up the sports page. After graduation, I joined the Associated Press as a newsman at Little Rock and later worked in AP bureaus in Detroit, Birmingham, and New Orleans. Eventually, I was Chief of Bureau in Little Rock, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Tokyo, Japan. I retired from the Associated Press in 1993 and now live in Evansville, Indiana.
"For me, writing fiction is fun, relaxing, and satisfying-an enjoyable change of pace, a recharging of the batteries.
"My first young adult novel, Running Scared, got started one night in a motel room in Champaign, Illinois, when I had nothing else to do. Before long, the story had me in its grip. The creation of the thing was a fascinating experience. I liked the characters. I liked leading them through their problems to their triumphs. I kept going until one day it was finished.
"I did not set out to write for young people. Looking back, I think it was something of a blessing that 1 did not. As I wrote Running Scared, I imagined the reader as an adult, but after it was finished, it seemed more appropriate for young readers. The result, I think, was that the story did not talk down to teenagers. In every book I've written since, I've tried to keep the same approach."
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 8, 2019
Outside Shooter, by Thomas J. Dygrad is a book about a high picked player in the NBA draft, but he chooses to pick coaching his high school basketball team, his name was Deke Warden. Last season the team was horrible and the previous coach got fired for kicking off a boy named Bobby Haggard. Bobby was a fan favorite and for good reason. He was a very, very talented guard, but he had a lot of problems with school and the law. Now Deke is hired and wants to get Bobby to join, he has a decent team already with good role players but one really good center named Benjy. After Deke gets Bobby to join he finds out Bobby is disliked by teammates for his antics. He ends up working it out and beats the undefeated team to become the best team in his state
The author always found ways to keep readers intrigued. He kept giving options all with solid evidence, one example is when Bobby gets suspended and Deke doesn't know if he wants to join the Bulldogs or leave forever, he showed both by showing the thoughts of Deke and he got worried about Bobby leaving. He also creates suspense when a path in the story can split on to either side, he makes evidence for each and then does something dramatic then fixes it.
I loved this book and if you have an interest in basketball, or even more so the life of a coach you would love this book like me. It puts you in the shoes of a coach that is on a team with chemistry issues. The book was easy to read (but if you don't understand basketball terms it would not be). The book is very realistic and unconfusing. A connection I made was Bobby to Jimmy Butler, they both caused chemistry issues. The book was unpredictable in a good way, it gave options but with me, the one I picked was usually wrong and I believe that was intended to be like that. The ending had me on my toes, it was an option between a Bulldogs victory or a loss to show they weren't good enough. The style of writing was calm but suspensful by trying to confuse you into picking the wrong outcome. The ending is a example of that.
The author always found ways to keep readers intrigued. He kept giving options all with solid evidence, one example is when Bobby gets suspended and Deke doesn't know if he wants to join the Bulldogs or leave forever, he showed both by showing the thoughts of Deke and he got worried about Bobby leaving. He also creates suspense when a path in the story can split on to either side, he makes evidence for each and then does something dramatic then fixes it.
I loved this book and if you have an interest in basketball, or even more so the life of a coach you would love this book like me. It puts you in the shoes of a coach that is on a team with chemistry issues. The book was easy to read (but if you don't understand basketball terms it would not be). The book is very realistic and unconfusing. A connection I made was Bobby to Jimmy Butler, they both caused chemistry issues. The book was unpredictable in a good way, it gave options but with me, the one I picked was usually wrong and I believe that was intended to be like that. The ending had me on my toes, it was an option between a Bulldogs victory or a loss to show they weren't good enough. The style of writing was calm but suspensful by trying to confuse you into picking the wrong outcome. The ending is a example of that.
May 26, 2021
The book I am reading is called Outside Shooter. The book is by Thomas J. Dygard. The book is about Deke Warden and Bobby Hagards relationship in basketball.
The first day that Deke Warden stepped foot onto the bloomfield basketball court he heard about Bobby Haggard, the star. Deke was jealous of Bobby, Deke wanted to be the best, as he was at his last highschool. Deke was so jealous that he wanted to 1v1 Bobby. Bobby was a cocky basketball player. And deke was a confident basketball player who hated cocky people.
I recommend this book to people that are interested in basketball and a little bit of drama because that's what the book is about. The book could be a little confusing but very easy to read.
The first day that Deke Warden stepped foot onto the bloomfield basketball court he heard about Bobby Haggard, the star. Deke was jealous of Bobby, Deke wanted to be the best, as he was at his last highschool. Deke was so jealous that he wanted to 1v1 Bobby. Bobby was a cocky basketball player. And deke was a confident basketball player who hated cocky people.
I recommend this book to people that are interested in basketball and a little bit of drama because that's what the book is about. The book could be a little confusing but very easy to read.
October 22, 2014
This book was very good. I liked the main character, Deke Warden, who just finished playing college basketball. Scouts and others from the NBA wanted him to declare for the draft. However, Deke declined, because as he said in high school, he wanted to become a high school basketball coach. He accepts to be the next basketball coach of the Bloomfield Bulldogs. When he gets to bloomfield he finds there is a very good player, Bobby Haggard, who is also a troublemaker with law enforcement and in his school. When the season starts the team is not too good, but Bobby comes back. The season gets better, but there is a shocker ending. Overall the book was very interesting, and is a reason why I love sports.
December 14, 2008
Outside Shooter is a book about Bloomfield High schools basketball team. A player on the team only thinks about himself and almost ruins the teams season and his career.
Outside Shooter is another type of book that I like because its a sports book. All of them have been wrote by the same author Thomas J. Dygard. This book was good but slow at first. In the story Deke Warden had an opportunity to go to the NBA but he herd that Bloomfield needed a coach so he decided to take the job. He did a good job coaching and led the team to their first national championship.
Outside Shooter is another type of book that I like because its a sports book. All of them have been wrote by the same author Thomas J. Dygard. This book was good but slow at first. In the story Deke Warden had an opportunity to go to the NBA but he herd that Bloomfield needed a coach so he decided to take the job. He did a good job coaching and led the team to their first national championship.
July 7, 2014
Not all that different from the Dygard book "The Rebounder" - the kid who is the key to success had issues the season before, the coach isn't too sure if he's going to play, he does play, things are okay for awhile, the issues rear their ugly head, will the player and the team be able to get past it? In this case, the star player is Bobby Haggard, and his issue is he's kind of a jerk, an outcast who separates himself from his teammates, and is kind of a troublemaker. But without his outside shooting, the team won't be able to compete with the best.
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October 25, 2010its okay.
January 23, 2012
I liked the book it was really good.
October 13, 2015
The book was alright i guess i have read way better books than this. The relationship between coach deke and bobby wasnt good at all
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews