Matt was momentarily stunned, but he bounced up quickly, wiping the trickle of blood from the side of his mouth. One look at the hard-nosed, sneering Grant Jackson standing above him told Matt no apology was forthcoming. "Just remember, rook," Grant hissed quietly. "I'm the starting point guard on this team." For as long as he can remember, Matt has wanted to play basketball. Now, as he tries out for the team at his new middle school, he realizes that the easy days of elementary ball are over and that this is a much more serious game. Dealing with a hard-driving coach, competitive teammates and his own insecurities in a new school, Matt needs to call on all his skills, both on and off the court, to make the team and keep his head above water. When he is involved, albeit unwittingly, in tagging a store with racist graffiti, Matt finds himself in more trouble than he bargained for. And when he fights back against an aggressive teammate and is threatened with suspension from the team, he learns that it is not only game-time decisions that count, but also the choices made after the crowd has gone home and the gym is silent. In the Paint is Jeff Rud's first novel for middle-grade readers. A longtime sports writer and political reporter, Jeff has been a lifelong basketball fan. He is also the author of Long Shot: Steve Nash's Journey to the NBA.