First published 2014
Coach Mike Stevens arrives at a struggling university basketball program with a radical philosophy. He believes in putting players before wins, developing young men before developing game plans. Stevens faces resistance from boosters who demand immediate results and administrators who question his methods. His star recruit, Marcus Williams, struggles with the pressure of being the team's hope while battling personal demons from his troubled past. As the season unfolds, Stevens must prove that caring about players as people rather than just athletes can still produce victories. The team learns that success means more than scoreboards and rankings. This story explores the tension between winning at all costs and building character that lasts beyond the final buzzer.
Genres: fiction, drama, contemporary, sports
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, underdog
Setting: University
Period: Contemporary
288 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press
Content warnings: addiction, mental-illness