Tyler is miserable His easy gym life has become a vigorous training site in basketball a game he doesn't seem to be able to master With a fifth grade basketball bowl on the docket for May, Mapleton's fifth graders are knocking themselves out to be the ones who will compete in the bowl. Since Tyler shines in other sports, his classmates expect him to help them earn this honor. Instead, he is one of the worst in his class Whenever he fails, which is usually every day, they torture him with jeers and sneers. One evening when Ty is grieving over that day's 'mess up' in gym, Augustus, an unbelievable being from outer space, streams out of his computer's monitor and promises to make Ty a champ in this sport. Desperate to put a stop to the daily torments, Ty signs a contract with the incredible creature that will always be invisible to others. In the weeks that follow, Tyler loves having this tough, demanding coach but begins to resent his unrelenting passion to him be all he can be in everything. While the tutor and his student struggle to tolerate each other, they come to realize that Ty's remarkable progress in basketball comes with a heavy price. It is then that Gussie's computerized abilities help Ty and his family deal effectively with a group of slick, nasty competitors.