FIGHT OR PLAY BASKETBALL: Every Shot Counts – the novel by Mike Messier

High School basketball star Jack Scratch discovers his natural boxing talent after his mom Janet befriends Slovenian slugger Paveli “Punch” Pangora and local legend “Sweet” Sugar Brown.

Punch, Sweet, and Jack’s basketball coach “Quick” Rick Steele vie for Janet’s attention, much to her son’s chagrin. Jack stumbles into a romance himself with Mindy Kim, a sporty smart alec and video game master.

With Punch as his trainer, Jack enters his first boxing tournament, likely to battle Sweet’s protégé “Bruiser” Bobby Studd. Coach Steele warns Jack that throwing fists will ruin his “sure shot and soft hands” and endanger his chances at a college basketball scholarship.

With the boxing finals mere hours before a vital basketball game, Jack competes in a two-sport day that tests his endurance and toughness while earning the respect of his teammates, mom, and mentors.