FULL COURT PRESS

Lupica comes up with another irreverent, behind-the-scenes peek into the world of sports in this wicked if predictable tale about the first woman to play in the NBA. Delilah "Dee" Gerard, a former star on European teams now quietly tending to her Monte Carlo bistro, is discovered by New York Knights scout Eddie Holtz when she plays in a men's charity game. Holtz convinces Gerard to come to the Big Apple, where she quickly becomes a marketing tool for the Knights' egomaniac owner, Michael De La Cruz. Gerard struggles mightily, both on and off the court. Her teammates want nothing to do with her, a local sportswriter campaigns ceaselessly to bump her off the team and old demons—a shady upbringing, a sex scandal—nag in the background. Not to mention that the first shot she takes as an NBA pro is an air ball. Eventually, Gerard hits her stride, helping the hapless Knights reach the playoffs against their crosstown rivals, the Knicks. Yet the experience sours her on the game she once loved. The Knights want her to sign a long-term contract. She's conflicted. As always, Lupica (Bump and Run, etc.) entertains with his lively pacing, screwball characters and insider's knowledge of professional basketball. Sports fans will likely lap it up, though even they may pine for more suspense and wince at the overabundance of locker-room humor. They also may wish that Lupica, longtime sports columnist for the New York Daily News would use his considerable expertise to take a harder, or at least a more effectively placed, swing at the business of professional sports. (Nov. 1)