The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams Paperback - 2004

In this gripping work of narrative nonfiction, Darcy Frey chronicles the aspirations of four young men as they navigate the NCAA recruitment process, their only hope of escape from a life of crime, poverty, and despair.

It ought to be just a game, but basketball on the playgrounds of Coney Island is much more than that. In The Last Shot, the aspirations of a few of the neighborhood's most promising players reveal that what they have going for them (athletic talent, grace, and years of dedication) may not be enough to defeat what's working against them: 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 sports journalism. The result is a startling and poignant expos of inner-city life and the big business of college basketball.

This landmark of sports journalism follows every tense moment as four young men bet their futures on the game.

• High-Stakes Competition: More than just a game, this is a story of survival, where the playgrounds of Coney Island become the only proving ground for a shot at a different life.
• The NCAA Recruitment Machine: An unflinching look at the slick, brutal world of college scouts, big-business athletics, and the impossible pressures placed on teenage players.
• A Gritty Coming of Age Story: An intimate and poignant expos of inner-city life, where inadequate schooling and desperate circumstances are opponents as formidable as any on the court.
• A Landmark of Social Commentary: Follow unforgettable young men like Russell, Corey, and Tchaka as they navigate a system that promises escape but often leads to heartbreak.