Allie is playing basketball. She takes a shot 14 ft away from the basket. When the ball is 2 ft away from her, it is at a height of 10 ft above the floor. The ball reaches its highest height of 14 ft above the floor when it is 6 feet away from her. a) Find the value of a.

b) If the hoop is 10 ft high, how close would Allie have to be in order to make the basket?