Many in Bunny’s neighborhood feel he betrayed them when he accepted a basketball scholarship to St. Sebastian’s, a private high school. His best friend Nasir, who still plays for their neighborhood high school, won’t even talk to him. As Bunny’s sophomore season heats up, he’s also questioning his decision to transfer. Basketball is the only way he fits in at St. Sebastian; in every other way it’s a challenge, because he’s Black and, compared to most students, poor. At the same time, college recruiters are paying far more attention to him than they would have at his old school. Bunny and Nasir’s tentative gestures of reconciliation are complicated by Bunny dating Keyona, a girl on whom Nasir has crushed for years. Nasir is also worried about his cousin Wallace, about to be evicted because his grandmother can no longer afford the rent in their gentrifying building. When Wallace reveals he’s been betting against St. Sebastian’s in the hopes of winning enough to pay their rent, it complicates things for Nasir even further. Chapters alternating between Bunny and Nasir’s points of view reveal the complexities and challenges of their lives in a riveting novel that illuminates how often the right thing to do is muddied by the ripple effects of every action; while doing the right thing, even when it’s clear, isn’t always easy. (Age 12 and older)

A powerful novel about friendship, basketball, and one teen's mission to create a better life for his family. Written in the tradition of Jason Reynolds, Matt de la Pe a, and Walter Dean Myers, After the Shot Drops now has three starred reviews

* "Belongs on the shelf alongside contemporary heavy-hitters like Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give, Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds's All-American Boys, and Nic Stone's Dear Martin."--School Library Journal, starred review

Bunny and Nasir have been best friends forever, but when Bunny accepts an athletic scholarship across town, Nasir feels betrayed. While Bunny tries to fit in with his new, privileged peers, Nasir spends more time with his cousin, Wallace, who is being evicted. Nasir can't help but wonder why the neighborhood is falling over itself to help Bunny when Wallace is in trouble.

When Wallace makes a bet against Bunny, Nasir is faced with an impossible decision--maybe a dangerous one.

Told from alternating perspectives, After the Shot Drops is a heart-pounding story about the responsibilities of great talent and the importance of compassion.