Crunch Time

by Mark Medoff

High school senior Robin Wingstrom's life is going nowhere. She's juggling a newspaper route, schoolwork, basketball, and a would-be boyfriend all with little success. To make matters worse, her only living relative, Gramps, is a senile old poop who's driving her certifiably nuts. When Robin misses a key shot in an important basketball game, her team loses, their coach collapses (dead on the spot), and Robin becomes the school goat. A new coach arrives. Smooth-talking Miles Murdock offers Robin the deal of her life an infallible jump shot. It's a 100% sure thing guaranteed. She can't miss! But a price must be paid. As Robin's jump shot earns her glory, Gramps suffers a series of excruciating maladies. The cafeteria lady, Lily Wintergarden, knows there is more to Coach Murdock than meets the eye, but she's not into helping folks anymore. It's a Faustian deal Murdock has struck with Robin, but he doesn't need any more souls; it's just plain old human suffering he relishes. Despite Murdock's diabolical intentions, Robin leads her team to the state championship game. It's the biggest contest of her life, and when she and Murdock go one-on-one, it's crunch time!

72 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1998

About the author

Mark Medoff was an American playwright, screenwriter, film and theatre director, actor, and professor. His play Children of a Lesser God received both the Tony Award and the Olivier Award. He was nominated for an Academy Award and a Writers Guild of America Best Adapted Screenplay Award for the film script of Children of a Lesser God.