Three Paths to Glory: A Season on the Hardwood With Duke, N.C. State, and North Carolina [Hardcover]

Barry Jacobs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1994

Provides an in-depth look at the basketball programs of three enormously successful North Carolina universities--Duke, UNC at Chapel Hill, and NC State--located within forty square miles of each other, as they compete during the 1992-93 season.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Atlantic Coast Conference is generally considered to play the best college basketball in the country, and three of its major teams are located in a 40-square-mile area of North Carolina. Jacobs, who covers the ACC for the New York Times , charts the triumphs and tragedies of those three teams through the 1992-93 season in this intimate, anecdotal study. North Carolina State, fighting back from the legacy left by disgraced former coach Jim Valvano, was truly snakebit: one of the players committed suicide, three were dropped for academic deficiencies and two suffered serious injuries. Duke, national champions in 1991 and 1992, expected to repeat and opened the year with 10 victories. But it was the University of North Carolina, coached by the legendary Dean Smith, that went to the Final Four, defeating Kansas handily and beating Michigan 77-71 in a contest far closer than the final score would indicate. The book will be a treat for all roundball fans and obviously a must for citizens of the Tar Heel State. Photos not seen by PW .
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Jacobs, a journalist for the New York Times , gives an overview of college basketball during the 1992-93 season by following three rival schools from North Carolina. While this format has been successful before (e.g., John Feinstein's A Season on the Brink , LJ 11/1/86), it does not work here. Jacobs never gets beyond press conference trivialities in exploring the pressure-packed experiences of the coaches and student athletes. He admits being denied access to practices and team meetings, which proves to be one of the book's shortcomings. Taken separately, certain chapters are well written, but the book fails as a whole because it provides no more depth than a typical newspaper report of individual games. For regional collections only.
- J. Sara Paulk, Satilla Regional Lib., Douglas, Ga.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 397 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan Pub Co (February 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0025584006
• ISBN-13: 978-0025584006
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,626,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars This book shows the hunger of a challenger & fall of a champ, October 12, 1998

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[e-mail] (Salisbury, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Paths to Glory: A Season on the Hardwood With Duke, N.C. State, and North Carolina (Hardcover)

This book really guides any basketball lover through the rigors of a season of ACC basketball. From the ups and downs of the rebuilding N.C. State program, to the fall of the two-time National Champions (Duke), to the rise of the new champions, the North Carolina Tar Heels. Simply a book that any ACC, or basketball lover, has to read. It will indulge you and take you through a real life journey of the young men at these institutions. This book will show you that while basketball is an important part of these young men's lives, it is yet only a game. From the suicide of one young player to the departure of the all-time assist leader in NCAA history to the rise of the national champions, this is a must read!!!

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, even if author went to Dook!, May 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Three Paths to Glory: A Season on the Hardwood With Duke, N.C. State, and North Carolina (Hardcover)

An interesting concept, to chronicle three powerhouses(historically, considering NCSU's recent struggles) in the same season. My only complaint is that the book spends far too much of it's attention on an also-ran Duke team to the detriment of NCAA champ UNC and NCSU. That is to be expected, however, when the author is a Dookie