The Rayl family of Lincoln, Indiana, is a family of deep Christian faith. They are also in love with basketball because of the father, Roger Rayl, who still plays pickup games against high school players in his late forties and writes about it constantly as a sports editor for the local newspaper. Roger has a great love for basketball and has passed it on to his son, Randy, who is a still-developing player and a big dreamer. Roger teaches Randy his famous hook shot, which later enables him to move from a manager to a varsity player. Roger eventually begins doing freelance writing for a national publication, which allows him to travel and cover major national tournaments. The town of Lincoln, ironically, is a baseball town with many state titles and a great coach. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is also a very important part of this book.