Carl Deuker's Night Hoops contains plenty of symbols that enhance the plot and the characters, including basketball, Scott's trumpet, and the flower garden.

Basketball stands as the story's central symbol. It represents different things for different characters. For Matthew Abbott, it stands for a dream lost for himself but possible for his son, Scott, who is exceptionally talented. For Scott, basketball becomes almost a prison. He develops other interests that he prefers, but his father keeps pushing him to play better and better. Basketball becomes a point of conflict between father and son, too, when Matthew lashes out at Scott for not being focused enough. Scott walks away. For Nick, basketball is an opportunity to please his father but also a point of connection to his troubled friend, Trent, for whom basketball might just be a means of getting his life back on track.

Another symbol in the story is Scott's trumpet. Scott is a budding musician, and he prefers his trumpet to basketball, much to his father's disgust. The trumpet stands for Scott's desire to be his own person and to break away from his father's demands.

Finally, Caroline Abbott's flower garden is a symbol of a broken family. Matthew is so focused on basketball that he decides to build a basketball court right over his wife's flower garden. He shows no consideration for her feelings, her desires, or her preferences. He does exactly what he wants, and his action leads to the breakdown of their marriage.