Swagger by Carl Deuker (review)

Point guard Jonas Dolan has thrived under good coaching and sound personal advice from his high school coach, but now his father’s relocation and a new school have him scrambling to keep his prospects bright for a Division A college. He makes friends with Levi, a preacher’s kid who struggles in school and avoids much social life, but whose skills on the court earn him enough respect to bring Josh into pick-up games at the local rec center and get his name out there. The games are being followed by Mr. Hartwell, a man who seems to know a thing or two about basketball and begins to informally coach the kids. Come fall, Hartwell turns up as assistant coach, challenging the sickly, aging head coach whose conservative playbook looks like a relic of bygone days. Hartwell’s popular with the guys, and when the coach suffers an accident on the court, Hartwell takes over and the team takes off. Hartwell’s definitely not on the up and up, though, and he proceeds to box Jonas into an ethical corner by helping him cheat in a science class, all the while making secret sexual advances on vulnerable Levi. Readers will easily catch the stench from Hartwell early on, and the pedophilia theme is clear well before the big reveal. Ever in the balance, though, is what will happen to Levi and whether Jonas will jeopardize his own basketball prospects by blowing the whistle on the man whose coaching ability has undeniably led the team to success. This is solid Deuker turf, populated by good kids trapped between conscience and goals. Expect fans to grab this title as soon as it hits the shelf.