Joey Amato's middle school career was supposed to culminate with a spot on the eighth-grade basketball team. After all, he had worked harder than ever during the off-season, after he had been snubbed (probably for his puny size,) from the seventh grade squad the year before. Tropical Hoops opens with Joey discovering that the snubbing has continued during his final year at Banana Key Middle; his name is not found on the list of the Eighth Grade Bonefish Basketball players. A chance stroll into the gym, however, opens the door to a very unlikely new after school activity: serving as assistant coach for the girls' eighth grade basketball team. The Florida Keys serve as a backdrop for the exploits of a young man who dedicates himself to motivating a team in which losing has long been an attitude. He also works towards improving the morale of an entire school, understanding his strange, new feelings for a young lady whose role as his oldest buddy may be changing, and coming to terms with the budding relationship between his father and a very surprising woman who is already in Joey's life.