Author Tom McKeown was born in Queens, New York, but grew up on Long Island where he attended Babylon High School and was an avid fan and participant in the school's basketball program. He later graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where among other activities he broadcast the school basketball games both in person and on the local radio station. McKeown has remained close with family and friends from his hometown and visits several times a year. He remembers fondly the mid-1970s when his high school basketball team was a regional power and the envy of many surrounding schools.