Synopses & Reviews
This is the story of a group of high school boys who have given their lives to basketball. They dream of a college scholarship and escape from the neighborhood. What they have is athletic talent, grace, and years of dedication. The Last Shot introduces us to unforgettable characters and the brutal world of college athletic recruitment.
Synopsis
It ought to be just a game, but basketball on the playgrounds of Coney Island is much more than that for many young men it represents their only hope of escape from a life of crime, poverty, and despair. In The Last Shot, Darcy Frey chronicles the aspirations of four of the neighborhoods most promising players. What they have going for them is athletic talent, grace, and years of dedication. But working against them are woefully inadequate schooling, family circumstances that are often desperate, and the slick, brutal world of college athletic recruitment. Incisively and compassionately written, The Last Shot introduces us to unforgettable characters and takes us into their world with an intimacy seldom seen in contemporary journalism. The result is a startling and poignant expose of inner-city life and the big business of college basketball.
About the Author
DARCY FREY is a contributing editor for Harper's Magazine and the New York Times Magazine. He lives in New York City.