Driveway Hoops

The Fundamentals of Playing with the Ball

All ideas and endeavors continually evolve. The game of basketball is no exception. In the 1940s, players weaved and took set shots, in the 1960s they picked and took jump shots, and today they hoist step-back threes off crossover dribbles. Although these new skills continue to transform the game, they remain the product of the fundamentals of how to dribble, pass, and shoot.

Player development ultimately requires athleticism as defined by agility and quickness, but it is the fundamentals that enable the less gifted player to neutralize his more skilled opponent. More importantly, it is the fundamentals that give kids, regardless of their skill level, the opportunity to compete and experience moments of triumph in front of family and friends.

Every child needs something that fuels feelings of self-worth. That "something" can be academic awards, playing the piano, growing tomatoes, or even making a game-winning foul shot. How children feel about themselves is fundamental to their psychological well-being. Therefore, children must not only have the opportunity to hear cheers in their classrooms but also to receive high fives from friends in the schoolyard. The amount of time parents spend in their driveways teaching their children how to shoot foul shots and layups is evidence that parents recognize that sports can be that "something."

Through the use of illustration, Driveway Hoops attempts to help parents

and children learn the fundamentals of basketball, not to garner athletic scholarships, but to give all kids the opportunity to hear their friends and parents yell, "Good shot!"

Dr. Jonathan (Johnny) Halpert played college basketball for Yeshiva University's legendary coach Red Sarachek from 1962 to 1966 and began his college coaching career there in 1972. Upon his retirement in 2013 he was the longest-tenured college coach in New York City history and fourth among all currently active NCAA coaches. In 2012, he became the seventh coach in New York City history to earn 400 victories.He received a BA and BHL degree from Yeshiva College in 1966, an MA degree in Educational Psychology from New York University in 1967, and a PhD in Special Education from Yeshiva University's Ferkauf Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences in 1978.He is married to the former Aviva Margolis, has five children, twenty grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Sari Kopitnikoff is a digital artist, experiential educator, and content creator. She's the creator of That Jewish Moment, a collection of original illustrations, programs, and materials celebrating Jewish life. You can find her on social media @thatjewishmoment.

Andrea Leigh Ptak's philosophy: The words-the message-matter. The visuals-the typography, layout, images, and colors-all work together to enhance the message. From 1974-81 she worked for a variety of firms in the communications industry, including a local newspaper, three advertising agencies, a corporate in-house agency, and a large commercial printing company. This experience gave her the skills to strike out on her own in 1981, when she opened a six-person, full-service design and photography studio in San Antonio, Texas. In 1993, with her industry fully revolutionized by the computer, she moved to Seattle and downsized to a home office. This technical background and 40+ years of experience give her the perfect blend of old-school knowledge and digital technology to ensure that her work meets a high level of quality. As a designer, Ptak excels at text-intensive projects like books. Her typography is top-notch, as she pays a great deal of attention to details like kerning and text flow. You'll find no widows, orphans, rivers, or strings of multiple hyphens in her work.As a project manager, she can access both her right and left brain equally to assist her self-publishing clients through the process from text to published work and promotion as much or as little as they need.