John Coy
John Coy
author • speaker • educator

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

Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball
Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher
and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball
Carolrhoda Books, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-76136-617-1 (HC)

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.


National Endowment for the HumanitiesHoop Genius has been included on the National Endowment for the Humanities Nonfiction Booklist for Young Readers. For the full list, click here.

Look inside the book:


Emilia at Wild Rumpus

Emilia, the winner of a copy of
Hoop Genius, for being first person
to shoot the ball into the small basket
at Wild Rumpus bookstore.

Chalkboard for Hoops Genius

Kari, amazing chalkboard artist at the Wild Rumpus created this for my book launch. It was such a fun event: prizes for people making hoops on baskets of different sizes was a big hit. Thank you to everybody who shot hoops with us.

Copyright © 2005- John Coy. All rights reserved.

Site designed and maintained by Winding Oak.