Phenom

by Xavier Knight

Abandoned by his mother at a very young age and raised by a single father, Shawn Banks honed his basketball skills on the tough city streets of Gary, Indiana and dreamed of one day playing in the NBA. After leading his Butler Bulldogs to the NCAA championship game as a freshman, Shawn's dream of becoming a first round draft pick in the NBA are about to come true. But no sooner than Shawn enters his name in the draft, then his life begins to spiral out of control. Shawn's girlfriend is viciously attacked and robbed on her way home. Then a local drug lord demands a piece of Shawn's NBA contract and will stop at nothing to own a piece of Shawn. And when a local reporter begins digging into Shawn's past, she uncovers a secret that threatens to end Shawn's dream of playing in the NBA before it ever begins. Now Shawn must embark on a mission to uncover the truth before it costs him not only his future in the NBA, but also his life.

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 2011

About the author

Xavier Knight is the Christian fiction pen name for Author C. Kelly Robinson. He is a native of Dayton, Ohio and magna cum laude graduate of Howard University and Washington University in St. Louis. Robinson is a marketing communications manager by day and has a long record of volunteer experience across organizations including United Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Mentor St. Louis, and Student Venture Ministries. Author of five previous novels including the best-selling No More Mr. Nice Guy and the critically acclaimed Between Brothers (Random House), he lives outside Dayton with his wife and daughter. He is hard at work on his next novel and on a nonfiction project. "

Reviews

[Larry Allen]

I found the book very interesting and the author kept me turning the pages. The ending really surprised me and I can't wait to read the sequel. I would recommend this book to anyone loves a good story because this book is more than about basketball. It's about friendship, family, and the hardships one player endures as he tries to keep it all together. Good job Xavier.