Travel Team

Travel Team is a young adult novel by Mike Lupica published in 2004. Lupica is a former newspaper columnist with experience writing sports commentary for the New York Daily News. In addition to his young adult novels, Lupica has written several books for adults, including autobiographies co-written with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells. Lupica has also appeared on ESPN and on several sports-oriented radio shows. This guide refers to the 2006 edition published by Puffin Books, a division of the Penguin Books Young Readers Group.

Plot Summary

Travel Team begins with Danny Walker, a 12-year-old who is short for his age. Danny has just failed to make the Middletown Vikings, the seventh-grade travel basketball team and an activity made popular by his former professional basketball player father, Richie Walker. Richie played for the Golden State Warriors before a car accident ended his career. As Danny practices in his driveway after receiving the bad news, Richie appears. Their relationship is strained; Richie typically lives in Las Vegas, having left Danny’s mother, Ali. Danny tells him that he didn’t make the team because Mr. Ross, the president of the bank and the president of Middletown Basketball, had told the evaluators during tryouts that he wanted a tall team that year. Ali tells him later that night that Richie may stick around for a while.

The next day at school, everyone knows that Danny didn’t make the team. His best friend Will tries to cheer him up. Danny considers not doing basketball that year, but his mom tells him he must. His friend Tess likewise encourages him to stick with it, even if it’s just to spite the dads who underestimated him. Danny plays in a pick-up game with Mr. Ross’s son Ty, and the two talented players mesh well together. Richie watches from afar, giving Mr. Ross a hard time. The two had played on the travel team together when they were young, and Richie believes that Ross still holds a grudge that Richie became famous and he didn’t.

A few days later, Richie announces that he’s starting his own travel team, eventually called The Warriors. He admits many of the boys who didn’t make Ross’s team. He emphasizes that it’s important that they have fun while playing. Danny is skeptical of the team at first, not believing that they’ll be any good. Eventually, Richie invites Colby Danes, a seventh-grade girl, to join them. The boys dislike it but soon see how good Colby is.

The Warriors lose the first two games of the season. At the next practice, Richie shows up hungover. Ali admonishes him, and Richie adjusts his behavior. During the next game, Danny has the chance to score the winning point, but he misses feels bad for disappointing his team. They lose another game, but the team is getting better and getting along. When they go out to celebrate, Richie doesn’t show up because he is in a car accident. While Richie survives, he’s out for the rest of the season. He emphasizes that he hadn’t been drinking. Richie later confides that, while no one knew, he had been drinking when he had his first accident, and he and the police officer who found him covered it up. However, he has decided to stop feeling sorry for himself.

Richie suggests that Danny coach the team since he’s out for the season. Ali is skeptical at first but then gets on board. Tess also joins the team as its manager. Mr. Ross briefly tries to lure Danny away from the team by offering him a spot on the Vikings but Danny refuses. They win their next game, and Danny begins to realize how Mr. Ross and some of the other coaches don’t seem to value their players as much as they value winning.

The Warriors are slated to play the Vikings, and Danny has several players over to strategize. Tess kisses him on the cheek. Mr. Ross’s son joins the Warriors for the first playoff game, which pits the Warriors against the Vikings. Richie comes from the hospital to watch the game. Once Mr. Ross sees his son on the court, he decides to stop coaching and joins Richie in the stands. The game is close, but the Warriors score in the last few seconds to win, and Danny is lifted on his teammates’ shoulders.