HOOP QUEENS 2

Thirteen WNBA stars of the present get fast-break tributes in this follow-up to 2003’s Hoop Queens.

Going for speed with short lines and staccato rhythms—“See / Courtney off the curl. / See / Courtney catch and shoot. / Must-see CV: / see / Courtney Vandersloot!”—Smith offers jargony takes on each player’s distinctive feats or style of play paired with monochrome action shots that have been processed so that only the balls and each subject’s uniform (and, when visible, shoes) are tinted. The cast runs to veterans, from Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi (“Power her up / start her up / DT3, Scoring Machine”) to sisters Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike to A’ja Wilson: “Dribble drive smooth like / a fresh donut’s glaze. / Making it look easy / in so many ways, / A’ja got smoooooth / game for days.” The elder Ogwumike’s ragged acrostic entry—“Nigeria / Stanford / mother is great / blockparty / and 1”—isn’t the only example of the author growing a bit too fond of his literary conceits, but he does provide befuddled readers with explanatory notes at the end that shed light on everything from Brittney Griner’s multifaceted abilities on the court to Australian player Liz Cambage, who has scored more points in a WNBA game than anyone else.

A surefire fan pleaser.