DUH SPOILERS
Hello everyone, I’m back with another sports book blog review! This review is on Shot Clock, which follows a teen basketball statistician Tony (or Tone), and his season on a Milwaukee AAU basketball team. I have the impression that everyone on this 14 and under roster (including the statistician) would cook anyone from Uni, considering they end up in the national tournament, and that this book is written by a former NBA player (Caron Butler).
And I’m telling you, the odds were stacked against them. The team was affected by the death of Dante, one of the top high school prospects in the nation and a team member’s brother before the season started. He was shot by a white cop, and being African-American, this incident shows all the signs of racism. Much of the book is spent trying to get the cop in jail for his wrongdoing (Dante was innocent). Also, Tony’s mom seems to have a form of depression or something, because she leaves the house to “get better” for months on end. And finally, the team’s best player switched teams to their cross-town rivals after getting his ego hurt.
Despite all the odds, the team managed to come out on top. And I think the ending is predictable but satisfying. It’s halftime of the national championship against their cross-town rivals, and multiple players are injured. Tony has to step in so they can run 5 players. At the very end, Tony hits the game-winning shot to make his team the national champions. If you like lots of actual basketball gameplay and statistics, then I recommend this book to you. One of my favorite scenes is tryouts, where Tony talks a lot about his own and other players’ stats. I also enjoy Tony’s game style. He isn’t focused on hitting threes or driving for layups, but passing is his strong suit. I think that goes to show how selfless he is as a player and person. So if you like a good sports book and easy read, I recommend Shot Clock for you!
Luke
Wow! Big spoiler! Regardless, this sounds like an interesting book to read, especially with the backstory and all the troubles that the team has to face; and it is so great that even under these seemingly unbeatable odds, they were able to go on and become the national champions
ReplyDeleteComment written by Naomi:
ReplyDeleteHey Luke, this seems like an interesting book! You described it well and I like how you compared Tony's game style to the type of person he is. I think that the way one plays a sport can definitely be a demonstration on who someone is as a person. I thought the part about getting cooked by the players 14 and under was funny, and unfortunately, probably very accurate. Nice post!