Film adaptation of street tough Jim Carroll`s epistle about his kaleidoscopic
free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction. As a member of a
seemingly unbeatable high school basketball squad, Jim`s life centers
around the basketball court and the court becomes a metaphor for the world
in his mind. A best friend who is dying of leukemia, a coach who takes
unacceptable liberties with the boys on his team, teenage sexual angst, and
an unhealthy appetite for heroin - all of these begin to encroach on young
Jim`s dream of becoming a basketball star. Soon, the dark streets of New
York become a refuge from his mother`s mounting concern for her son. He
can`t go home and his only escape from the reality of the streets is heroin for
which he steals, robs and prostitutes himself. Only with the help of Reggie,
an older neighborhood friend with whom Jim `picked up a game` now and
then, is he able to begin the long journey back to sanity.