Tournament Upstart Information

"Tournament Upstart" may keep that young adult in your house from whining that he's bored and get his nose into a book. It is a sports novel about an underdog basketball team's climb to a state championship and what it overcomes to win the title.

  1. History

    • "Tournament Upstart," published in September 1998, is Thomas J. Nygard's nest to last book in a series of sports novels geared toward young adults. The series ran from 1989, when Nygard wrote "The Rookie Arrives," through his 1999 novel "Soccer Duel."

    Plot

    • "Tournament Upstart" tells the fictional story of the Cedar Grove High School basketball team from the Ozark foothills as it makes its way through the Class A state tournament while battling internal team conflicts. The book is reminiscent of the 1980s classic movie "Hoosiers," in that both are about small-town high school teams and their battles against bigger schools -- and themselves -- on their way to the ultimate prize of a state championship.

    About the book

    • "Tournament Upstart" is 208 pages long and amazon.com recommends it for readers ages 9 to 12 years old. It was published by HarperCollins. Although the book is out of print, you can find used editions for sale online or at used book outlets.