Craig Leener

Author of the Zeke Archer YA basketball trilogy. A feature film based on Book 1, “This Was Never About Basketball,” is set for release in spring 2027.

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

The power of basketball to elevate young lives was never more apparent than when Jason McElwain took the court for Greece Athena High in 2006. Jason’s otherworldly performance continues to serve as an inspiration to those battling adversity … https://t.co/qNqYTPcp5l

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

Alvin Lee of Ten Years After would’ve turned 81 today, and I can't think of a better time to repost my list of the band’s Top 30 songs. This list always creates a mountain of debate, including from my pal, Junior, but that won’t stop me. Spin some TYA today, people.

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

Charge or block?

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

It’s been a few years since I’ve rolled out my top 30 Ten Years After songs of all time, compiled with limited assistance from my rock ’n’ roll compañero @bbcardco aka Junior. Alvin was The Man — truly a force of nature #AlvinLee

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

Summer’s here. Are you hitting the road? Traveling through time? Shooting for the stars? This season’s reading challenge will be a wild ride! #SummerReadingChallenge #IndieBookstore #BookTwitter

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch, as reported by @ChazNBA, inserted Joe Ingles into the starting lineup so that Ingles’ neurodiverse son Jacob could watch his dad play live for the first time ever. Finch: “Sometimes you gotta do the human thing.” https://t.co/ntKxIXu1Lv

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

Sports journalist @RoyceWebb checks in with a well-researched and thought-provoking exposé on Jimmy Carter’s lifelong relationship with the great sport of basketball … https://t.co/MlmGZXj2yc

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

“You’ll need to thread the needle, otherwise the Ares Pilgrim will either burn up on reentry, or it’ll skip out of the atmosphere and strand you in interplanetary space. I’m going to be honest with you, son — if you don’t get this just right, we’re going to have a problem.”

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

There we were, unlikely friends encased together in a pulsating, metal-and-glass eternity box on a pilgrimage backward in time via a cosmic tunnel that, for all I knew, looped through the far-flung reaches of the universe to get to Springfield, Massachusetts.

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

Lawrence tore off another piece of paper and used one of his freshly sharpened No. 2 pencils to scribble some words onto it before folding the note in half and handing it to me. I unfolded the note and rubbed my eyes in disbelief.

“Wade’s not dead … I’ve done the math.”

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

The Arizona Republic’s @DuaneRankin delivers a moving story on the passing of Al McCoy, the legendary voice of the Suns and the longest NBA tenured broadcaster … https://t.co/CB0R8KzR2Z

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

The class? Saving Basketball for All Humankind 101.
Today’s assignment? Riding alongside Zeke Archer while the game he loves hangs in the balance!

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

“People just need to opt out of the craziness” — Blogger, journalist and podcaster @mattyglesias checks in with an insightful, thought-provoking essay: the case against high-pressure youth sports in America … https://t.co/XY51nwqQCM

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

Alvin Lee is mysteriously missing from that list.

[Amy @20th_Centurygal]

Do you agree?

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

@kaj33 weighs in on the passing of his rival/brother/close friend Bill Walton — “He had wanted to be more like me on the court‌, and I wanted to be more like him off the court" https://t.co/dPc8zuNBuk

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

Charge or block?

[Ethan Hanson @EthanAHanson]

Summarizing the first half of Game 4 #Pacers #Knicks.

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

The Bard isn’t just the voice of a generation. Turns out he’s a baller too. @RoyceWebb identifies 17 surprising connections between Bob Dylan and the great sport of basketball https://t.co/Kbu6amdtsl

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

As a long-suffering Clippers fan, I’m always hunting for the silver lining — and I found it today in this piece by @espn NBA reporter @NotoriousOHM on Russell Westbrook’s transformative role with the team https://t.co/5SCnQiKuTf

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

South LA native, former UCLA Bruin and current Clipper Russell Westbrook is one of the community investors in a project to revitalize an area that burned down during the ’92 riots. Big-time throw-down by Russell … https://t.co/KsEzgfBqzr

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

@jeffpearlman knows what’s up

[Craig Leener @CraigLeener]

For 4-year-old AJ Tribble, life is all about shooting and playing defense as he gets an early jump on following his basketball dream … https://t.co/9CbesISLrr