Basketball coach with clipboard points toward hoop as player number 8 holds a ball in the gym

Coach Points Out the Next Shot

A smiling coach points past the backboard while number 8 listens with a basketball tucked against his side.

🎨 How to color it

Color the coach’s tracksuit royal blue, the player’s number 8 jersey bright red, the wooden floor honey gold, and the basketballs classic orange. Use sharp colored pencils for the crisscrossed net and court lines, then switch to broader strokes for the backboard, wall, and floorboards. Try making the coach’s clipboard pale yellow, as if the next play is glowing before anyone takes the shot.

The story behind this coloring page

The Clipboard That Pointed Back — Every evening after practice, Calder swept the fieldhouse court in long, whispery rows, then copied the faded arrows from his father’s old clipboard onto scrap paper. Read the full story →

Every evening after practice, Calder swept the fieldhouse court in long, whispery rows, then copied the faded arrows from his father’s old clipboard onto scrap paper. He wanted to know why one tiny star was drawn beside the right corner of the key. The clipboard smelled like dust, orange peels, and the metal clip that had pinched a thousand game plans.

Until one day, the star slid. Not far—just a pencil-width—while Calder was rubbing away a sneaker mark. Because of that, he followed the arrow instead of sweeping under the bleachers. Because of THAT, he heard a hollow thump behind the wall padding, like a basketball bouncing inside a drum. “Are you awake in there?” he whispered.

At the next practice, Calder carried a ball to the spot and asked Coach Venn to watch. The coach pointed, the player in the number 8 jersey aimed, and the shot kissed the rim with a sound like a key turning. A loose panel popped open, revealing old tournament programs, a silver whistle, and one note: LISTEN TO THE COURT. If you trace the coach’s pointing finger, can you guess where Calder heard the hollow thump in those long, whispery rows?