Dunks

Duncan Lipton's life is so good that he can barely believe he's living it. He's seventeen, has a beautiful girlfriend who loves him, supportive parents, and a best friend, Matty G, with whom he has conquered the world of high school basketball. Known as the tandem "Woops and Oops", the two friends are seemingly shoe-ins for Division I college scholarships and most likely headed to the NBA, which has been their mutual lifelong dream. Although they spend most of their time and energy on pursuing their athletic success, the friends' experimentation with drugs and alcohol sometimes gets in the way of their achieving it. When they wake up one day to find half a million dollars scattered all over Duncan's floor, with more than twelve hours of their memories erased by a combination of whiskey and anti-anxiety medication, they find themselves clueless as to the money's origin. But what seems like an incredible stroke of luck turns out to be anything but. When the boys find out that they stole the money during their blackout, a domino effect is created, which ultimately contributes to a horrible tragedy for Matty G's family, the consequences of which turn both Matty and Duncan's lives upside down. When Duncan uses the money to run from his problems, he ends up on a wild adventure full of unexpected violence, memorable characters, and surreal circumstances, as he follows the advice given to him in his dreams by his basketball idol. His journey takes him across the country, from the Caribbean to Amsterdam, from high school to college, from the 'hood to the 'burbs. And all throughout, the question remains: Will Duncan succeed in realizing his dream of playing in the NBA? Matty Marks is a 27 year-old graduate of Rutgers University who currently works in the mental health field with children and adolescents. He is an avid recreational athlete, musician, and sports fan. Dunks is his first novel.