about the book
Jonas Dolan is pretty sure he’ll never see a university campus; his parents can’t even afford to send him to community college. So when his father is laid off and the family is forced to move to Seattle, the last thing Jonas ever expects is getting the starring point-guard spot on a Division Two high school team and a chance to impress the college recruiters.
Suddenly he is the b-ball phenomenon, a new and glorious life laid out before him. One thing for sure, he’s taking his new friend and teammate Levi with him. Though the Christian kid is way too quiet and nice, their rapport on and off the court couldn’t be better.
Just when things are going perfect, everything unravels as his senior year starts. Not approving of his aggressive style and fancy handwork, Coach Knecht relegates Jonas to second string! Even the new assistant coach, the very charismatic Ryan Hartwell, can’t budge the old-school fuddy-dud. Looks like Jonas will have to wave college and his basketball scholarship goodbye.
But when Coach Knecht collapses at a game and Hartwell takes over, things immediately get better. Not only is the team winning left and right, he encourages the aggressive play, helps a player cheat on a chem exam, and even supplies the beer when the team gathers at his place! The guy is a total cool dude!
With things looking so good, why is Levi suddenly sullen and withdrawn?
When Jonas gets to the bottom of the problem, he is shocked to discover that Coach Hartwell is definitely not the person he thought. Now faced with the truth, Jonas has to make some pretty horrendous decisions. Should he keep quiet and let a blackmailer and molester continue…or do the right thing, protect his best friend, and, once again, lose his one chance at a basketball scholarship. What would you do?
about the author
Carl Deuker’s father died when he was three years old. Perhaps that is why he often writes about family dramas and father/son relationships. He also writes about sports. Carl loves all sorts of sports. Growing up in the San Francisco area, he was good enough to make most school teams but not good enough to play much. He was the classic second-stringer—too short for basketball, too small for football, and too chicken to face fast balls. He ended up playing golf his senior year of high school.
Carl was an English major at the University of California Berkeley. Though he was persistent, he was never one of the best writers in any of his classes. While there, though, he did discover that he was a pretty decent athlete when he participated in intramural sports, especially volleyball. After graduating, he taught, worked as a film and book newspaper critic, and coached volleyball. After too many sprained ankles, Carl has returned to the game of golf.
He currently teaches in Seattle’s Northshore School District where he lives with his wife Anne and their daughter Marian. In his spare time, you can usually find him catching a Giants game. He has always been an avid lifetime fan.
Sources:
Author website
Author biography: Encyclopedia
Book trailer: Swagger
Also by Carl Deuker:
Payback Time. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2010.
Gym Candy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2007.
Runner. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2005.
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