Duke: Memorable Stories of Blue Devil Basketball (Game of My Life) [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Al Featherston (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Several former Blue Devil players who have worn the legendary Duke uniform share their fondest single-game experience and memories. Some of these games involve championships, while others have extraordinary personal meaning. In each case, it is the player who singles out the game, the moment in time that to him is the most defining of his Duke career. The book features heroes like Dick Groat, Art Heyman, Johnny Dawkins, Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, Shane Battier, Jason Williams, J.J. Redick, Grant Hill, Billy King, Mike Gminski, and Jay Bilas.

About the Author
Al Featherston has covered Duke and ACC sports since 1970. He joined the sports staff of the Durham Sun in 1974 and served as the assistant sports editor of that paper from 1975-91. He then worked for the new Durham Herald-Sun from 1991- 2005. He won numerous press awards, including the 2001 National Association of Sports Writers first-place award for game coverage, as well as four top awards from the North Carolina press association. Featherston is a regular columnist for Basketball Times. He resides in Durham, NC. Past titles include Battle for Mortain: The 30th Infantry Division Saves the Breakout, August 7-12, 1944 (Presidio Press, 1993 and 1998) and Tobacco Road: Duke, Carolina, N.C. State, Wake Forest and the History of the Most Intense Backyard Rivalries in Sports (Lyons Press, 2006).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 230 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159670179X
• ISBN-13: 978-1596701793
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #160,602 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #17 in	Books > Sports > Basketball > College & University
  #34 in	Books > History > United States > State & Local > North Carolina

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read for Duke fans with a sense of history, January 12, 2008

By	K. Kojima (San Carlos, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Good book by Al Featherston, but I doubt other fans will appreciate it. Of course being a Duke alum, I don't care. For Duke fans that have a sense of the long history of Duke basketball, it is an interesting read.

Featherston has one of the better writing styles of the writers that follow the Devils. With many other books, I often feel like I am reading a sports page column. Featherston usually puts more into his writing, and it shows again here.

The book is made up of chapters, each one done by a former Duke player. There is no linking between chapters, each one is about 10 pages and is inclusive within itself. There is a Featherston summary of the player, then a lead up to the game of their lives. There is a first person section about the game, then it goes back to Featherston with an aftermath and small write up of where the player is now. The first person accounts are fairly short, never more than a couple of pages, and some just a few paragraphs.

Most of the major Duke stars over the past ~50 years are here. Some notable exceptions are Tate Armstrong, Steve Vacendak, Vince Taylor, JJ Redick, Tommy Amaker, Grant Hill and Elton Brand. Being an '85 grad, I would have loved to have read the account by Taylor of the '82 game vs. Clemson (Duke won in 3 OTs, led by Taylor). But then again, it's not like anyone in the book isn't worthy of inclusion.

In any case, here is a list of the players and their games:

Wojo - vs. UNC, 28 Feb 98
Marin - vs. Kentucky, 18 Mar 66 (the only loss in the book, I believe)
Heyman, vs. UNC, 4 Feb 61 (the fight game)
Mullins, vs. 'Nova, 13 Mar 64
Melchionni, vs. Maryland, 3 Feb 73
Banks. Guess. You're right.
Dawkins, vs. Miss. Valley State, 13 Mar 86
Alarie, vs. UNC, 10 Mar 84
Ferry, vs. Miami, 10 Dec 88
Battier, vs. Arizona, 2 Apr 01
Laettner. Guess. You're right.
Gminski - vs. UNC, 14 Jan 78
Groat - vs. UNC, 29 Feb 52
Lind. Guess. You're right.
King - vs. Temple, 26 Mar 88
Sheldon Williams - vs. Maryland, 11 Jan 06
Hurley - vs. UNLV. Guess which one. You're right.
Carrawell - vs. NC State, 19 Jan 00
Jason Williams. Guess. You're right.