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Craig Leener grew up on the hardscrabble basketball courts of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California. He has studied the game as a player, coach, referee, fan, and sportswriter. Craig earned an associate degree in liberal arts from Los Angeles Valley College and a bachelor's degree in radio, TV, and film from California State University, Northridge (CSUN). He subsequently worked in the entertainment industry in film operations, postproduction technical services, and human resources management before finding his calling as a sportswriter and young-adult novelist. Craig sits on the board of directors of the Journalism Alumni Association at CSUN, where he mentors student journalists and serves as the organization's director of scholarships. He is a member of the North Valley Family YMCA and lives in the suburbs of Los Angeles with his wife, Andrea. Craig purports to be an 87-percent free-throw shooter on his backyard home court, a claim that has never been independently verified.
""Leener's novel is unexpectedly powerful, perhaps because you wouldn't expect a story about sport-stealing aliens to carry such emotional weight. But, as its title suggests, THIS WAS NEVER ABOUT BASKETBALL is focused primarily on the journey and growth of its protagonist, Zeke, and uses this zany plot to help him reach his destination. This is a potent, positively charged novel that has a great message for young adults about the importance of leading by example and owning up to your own shortcomings. (2018 Most Original Concept award by Red City Review)"" -redcityreview.com ""Here is where Leener's novel really stands out, his story isn't about sport or some cliche pretense about character building. Rather, Leener's book is that quality kind of young adult fiction (perhaps even better suited for middle grade readers) about the main character finding their place in the world and embracing how they have, must, and will change as a person."" -msanthropester.com ""In THIS WAS NEVER ABOUT BASKETBALL, author Craig Leener marvelously marries his knowledge of basketball with his interest in science fiction to create a fun, fascinating read with page-turning action, unexpected plot twists and laugh out loud humor. (IR Rating: 4.8 out of 5)"" -indiereader.com ""While THIS WAS NEVER ABOUT BASKETBALL is very much about basketball, and will most certainly appeal to basketball fans, it is really about coming to terms with what's important in one's life, so it can appeal to a wide gamut of readers. All combined - a stellar cast of characters and a great story - This Was Never About Basketball is a remarkable young adult novel that really is about so much more than basketball. (Five stars)"" -selfpublishingreview.com
