Clutch Time

Former NBA All-Star Caron Butler and acclaimed author Justin A. Reynolds deliver another superstar performance in this companion novel to Shot Clock about KO, a budding AAU basketball star as he attempts to find redemption on the court and reconnection with his incarcerated father.Kofi "KO" Douglas knows how to handle pressure. After all, he is the newly announced #1 ranked AAU player in the country. On the court, his game is as good as it gets--even if his Wolves team lost to the Sabres in the national championship, KO always believes nobody can beat him one-on-one. That is, until his former best friend, Ripp, returns home, just in time for the biggest tournament of the summer, the McNabby. Ripp's dad plays professional basketball overseas, and Ripp has been tearing up courts there--KO now has his toughest competition yet. As KO gears up for this latest challenge, there's game-changing news at home. KO's dad, who has been incarcerated for the last seven years, is getting out. It's been KO and his mom for as long as he can remember, only now his dad is ready to reconnect. It's another reunion KO isn't sure he wants to happen, especially as Ripp keeps calling out KO to play him in the McNabby.With the tournament on the horizon, KO decides to turn to Coach James and the Sabres for help. He may not love the idea of playing with Tony Washington and his former teammates again, but he needs them now more than ever. Can KO prove he's still the best on the court as his family life turns upside down?

PRAISE FOR SHOT CLOCK: "An inspirational story that shows that while reality can at times be too sad to bear, it can also--with the support of loved ones--be filled with hope." -- Booklist"The story is notable for its consideration of racism, justice, inequality, and trauma along with exciting basketball action and memorable characters." -- Horn Book Magazine"This bustling narrative is brimming with exciting, detailed basketball scenes and moving life lessons about the things one takes for granted, the importance of community, and the will to succeed despite stacked odds." -- Publishers Weekly"A provocative shot." -- Kirkus Reviews

Caron Butler is a former two-time NBA all-star who played for fourteen seasons. He is currently an assistant coach for the Miami Heat and previously was a TV commentator on ESPN, NBC, TNT, and NBA TV. His memoir, Tuff Juice: My Journey from the Streets to the NBA, was published by Lyons Press in 2016. Tuff Juice is being produced as a film by Mark Wahlberg. Caron is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist. He created the Butler Elite Basketball Program and the 3D foundation. Caron lives in Miami with his family. Justin A. Reynolds has always wanted to be a writer. Opposite of Always, his debut YA novel, was an Indies Introduce selection and a School Library Journal Best Book and has been translated into nineteen languages. His second YA novel, Early Departures, was a Kirkus Reviews Best YA Book of the Year. His debut middle grade, a Miles Morales graphic novel titled Shock Waves, was an indie bestseller. Justin is also the cofounder of the CLE Reads Book Festival, a Cleveland book festival for middle grade and young adult writers. He hangs out in northeast Ohio and is probably somewhere right now dancing terribly. You can visit him at www.justinareynolds.com