The Crossover

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2014

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Quiz

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Discussion Questions

Part 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 5: “Fourth Quarter”

Part 5, Poems 1-6 Summary

At the hospital in “The doctor pats Jordan and me on the back and says,” the doctor tells the boys that their dad should be fine. JB sobs and Josh has an attitude with the doctor which his mom tries to correct. The doctor addresses their mom and says that their dad’s myocardial infarction created some complications and he is in a coma. JB asks if their dad will be home for Christmas. Instead of answering the question, the doctor suggests that they all talk to him because patients in a coma can sometimes respond to hearing their family’s voices.

“My⋅o⋅car⋅di⋅al in⋅farc⋅tion [MY-OH-CAR-DEE-YUHL IN-FARK-SHUN] noun” states that the event “[o]ccurs when blood flow / to an area of the heart / is blocked / for a long enough time / that part of the heart muscle / is damaged / or dies” (201). JB now hates basketball because he believes it caused his father’s heart attack. Josh looks up the symptoms, all of which his father has had. Josh knows this is the same thing his grandfather died of and wonders where that leaves him and JB.

In “Okay, Dad,” Josh attempts to talk to his dad as the doctor suggested. His brother and mother have been talking to his dad all morning, so when Josh begins, he starts by asking him a question: “when did you decide to jump / ship?” (203). Josh then assures his dad he won’t miss the championship game.

In “Mom, since you asked, I’ll tell you why I’m so angry,” Josh lists the reasons why he’s upset. They include feeling lonely because JB spends so much time with Alexis and being mad at his brother, not only because he won’t talk to him, but because JB cut his locs and didn’t seem to care. Josh also blames himself for his dad’s current state.

“Text Messages from Vondie” update Josh on the status of the game. The Wildcats went into double overtime but ended up winning by one point. They dedicated the game ball to Josh and JB’s dad. In “On Christmas Eve,” their dad wakes up and the first thing he says to Josh is that he “[…] didn’t jump ship” (206).

Part 5, Poems 7-10 Summary

In “Santa Claus Stops By,” relatives, food, gifts, and flowers swarm the hospital room. Josh and JB are celebrating Christmas at the hospital, and even though joy surrounds them, Josh feels frustrated and angry. Their dad calls them to his bedside and tells them that he wants them to always look out for each other. JB cries, so their mom takes him for a walk in the hallway. Josh tells his dad that he has nothing to say, but his dad says that’s not true and that he’s trying not to say something. He proposes an exercise: he’ll ask a question, then Josh will ask a question, and so on, until they “[…] can both get some answers” (209).

In “Questions,” Josh and his dad trade questions. Josh asks serious questions about the fate of his dad and their family, and his dad deflects answering, trying to instead inject some humor and levity into the situation. In the end, damage has been done to both of their hearts.

In “Tanka for Language Arts Class,” Josh writes a tank poem, which is a traditional Japanese poem consisting of five lines and 31 syllables, about the fact that a new year has come and his dad is still in the hospital. Josh is having trouble finding joy this holiday season.

In “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to,” Josh lists all the things he does alone now that JB has Alexis and his dad is in the hospital, including shooting free throws alone and walking home alone.

Part 5, Poems 11-16 Summary

“Basketball Rule #9” talks about being fearless and taking the ball to the hoop even “when the game is on the line” (214). In “As we’re about to leave for the game,” Josh and JB’s mom receives a phone call from the hospital and learns their dad has had another heart attack. She races out the door, telling the brothers that she’ll see them at the game before zooming away in her car. Josh asks JB what they should do. JB races after their mom on his bike, leaving Josh home alone wondering whether or not he should go to the game. He hears his dad’s voice telling him to go, and then Vondie’s dad picks him up and takes him to the game. In “During warm-ups,” Josh misses lay-ups, and his coach asks him if he’s okay to play, telling him they would all understand if he preferred to be with his family at the hospital. Josh says his dad wants him to play and excuses himself to the locker room to check his phone for updates before the game.

In “Text Messages from Mom, Part Two,” Josh learns that his dad is having complications, but his mom says he’ll be fine. Even though JB doesn’t feel like playing, she sends him to the game to offer support for Josh: “[…] Look for him and / don’t get lazy on your // […] crossover” (218).

“For Dad” shows Josh making a free throw that brings the Wildcats up by a point for the first time in the game. With five seconds left in the game, their coach calls a timeout, and Josh spots JB “[…] head buried // in Sweet Tea, his eyes / welling with horror” (220). Josh returns to court for the last five seconds of the game, tears running down his face.

In “The Last Shot,” Josh plays out each of the last five seconds wherein he drives up the lane, issues his crossover, and leaps to take the ball to the hoop for the game-winning shot.

Part 5 Analysis

Josh’s dad spends the holidays in the hospital at first in a coma, then awake and ready for conversation. JB is emotional, often having to leave the room with his mom so that he can cry and feel consoled. Josh is stoic, angry, and blames himself for his dad’s stay in the hospital. Josh asks his dad a series of serious questions, and his dad continues to try and deflect the gravity of the situation, attempting to make Josh laugh or concentrate on basketball. His desire to present a strong front emphasizes the theme of Confidence and Vulnerability. At whatever cost, Josh’s dad has lived his life the way he wanted to. He tells Josh and JB that they need to be there for each other no matter what and insists that they play in the championship game even if he can’t be there.

When it comes to game time, Josh’s mom has to rush to the hospital because his dad has had another heart attack and JB decides to follow her. Josh thinks for a moment but hears his dad’s voice encouraging him to go to the game. His teammates and coach support him, and his mom sends JB back to the game to be with his brother even though JB decides not to play.

The team struggles to get ahead, but finally, they do, and Josh looks at JB during a timeout. He knows by his face that they’ve lost their father. With the final seconds on the clock, Josh performs his best crossover and flies through the air to make the shot just as his dad would have wanted him to. At that moment, Josh regains his individuality and his identity, highlighting the themes of Music, Rhythm, and Identity and Basketball as Life Lessons. He knows what his father wants for him, and he knows that even though both he and JB need consoling, they attain it in different ways. JB leans on Alexis, and Josh leans into basketball. It’s what he does well, it’s what his father does well, and when he plays, he feels closest to his father no matter where he may be.