11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
I beg to differ - this is not a great book, December 17, 2005
This review is from: 100 Seasons of Duke Basketball: A Legacy of Achievement (Hardcover)
Let me state right off that I am a Duke alum and continuing fan of Duke and the program. I am drawn towards any and all books on Duke and ACC basketball, so I was quite excited when I saw this book came out. But also in that context, I was overall disappointed with this particular book.
Pros:
- Nice looking coffee table book
- Lots of stats in the back (assuming they can be trusted - see below)
- Nice photographs, not the usual ones you see in the regular media.
- Several good sidebars on specific Duke moments and items.
- As good a job as I've read on the early Duke years (pre-Bubas).
Cons:
- Inaccuracies. Some big, some small. For example, most every Duke fan should know that Laettner hit the shot against Kentucky with 2.1 seconds on the clock, not 2.5 seconds as was written in the book. Despite whose fault this was, (writer, editor, copy, etc.), it is a quite obvious error. This error and others found bring into question the stats in the back. I would not use this book as a reference, rather just go to Goduke.com.
- Detail of some inconsequential items, no mention of others. Having lived and died through all of the seasons over the past 30 years, I can recall several big games over the seasons that were not covered whatsoever. For example, no mention of the 3OT thriller against Clemson in Cameron at the end of the 81-82 season (Vince Taylor's last game).
- Glossing over some of the big Duke lowlights. Hey, I'm as big a a homer for Duke as anyone, but I did expect to see more in detail of the lower moments. For example, there were only a few lines on the UNLV fiasco in 1990. IMHO understanding these moments and how Duke for decades just could not get over the hump makes the past 15 years even more celebratory for Duke.
- I found the rationalizing of Duke's all-white team not being as racist as the Kentucky all-white team that lost to Texas Western (UTEP) in the '66 final a bit insulting. Brill writes that it was probably UK coach Adoph Rupp that made that game bigger than it was. This is nonsense, it was a white southern team playing a black team, and history would have likely treated Duke similarly to UK. Facing facts, Duke even tried to hire Rupp later on.
- The book simply ends "cold" after the 2002-03 season. There is no epilogue, no summary. The text just simply ends and goes to the stats. This is perhaps the biggest example of several points where occasionally there is simply not good flow to the book. It might be good to mention that the book *starts* with the 2003-04 season.
- There is no pointed focus on the Duke-Carolina rivalry. Of course, this has been a strong focus of Duke basketball since the 60's, but not much was written directly about the rivalry itself.
- Lastly, I have read Brill's work from links on Dukebasketballreport.com, and they are fine as sports reporting in a daily paper. However, this whole book is written just like a game report in the paper. The sentence structure is short and choppy. Flow is sometimes poor as I have noted. With all due respect, this does not compare well to the eloquence of John Feinstein, Frank Deford, or other major sports writers.
I wish it were not so, but I felt that the negatives of this book outweighed the positives. Buy it only if you must.
If you are looking for a good Duke book and have not read it, get Forever's Team by Feinstein.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for basketball mavens, November 23, 2004
This review is from: 100 Seasons of Duke Basketball: A Legacy of Achievement (Hardcover)
No one, with the possible exception of Mike Krzyzewski, understands and appreciates Duke basketball like Bill Brill. He attended Duke as a student, and as a journalist covered each of the Blue Devils' 14 Final Four appearances. His insight and passion are obvious in his writing, whether he's chronicling old-timers from his era, or hip-hoppers from the 21st century. This book makes an ideal holiday gift, not only for Duke fanatics, but also anyone who applauds excellence in college athletics.
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