The Last Great Game

Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds That Changed Basketball

By: Gene Wojciechowski

Narrated by: Kyle Tait

"A compelling narrative about the people who produced the most spine-tingling moment in modern college basketball history." (Seth Davis, Sports Illustrated and CBS)

March 28, 1992. The final of the NCAA East Regional, Duke vs. Kentucky. Millions could say they witnessed the greatest game and the greatest shot in the history of college basketball. But it wasn't just the final play - an 80-foot inbounds pass with 2.1 seconds left in overtime - that made Duke's 104-103 victory so memorable. Each player and coach arrived at that point with a unique story to tell.

In The Last Great Game, ESPN columnist Gene Wojciechowski turns the game we think we remember into a drama filled with suspense, humor, revelations, and reverberations. Not just for Duke or Kentucky fans, this acclaimed New York Times best seller is for everyone who appreciates the great moments in sports.

©2012 Gene Wojciechowski (P)2020 Tantor

Nostalgia

I cried, laughed, relived my favorite basketball team of all time. Bobby and Christian’s relationship blew my mind. Until recently, I didn’t know

F Pitano the Sleeze

That UofK team was great

Fantastic story.

Brilliant Story Weaved Together As It Should Be

Duke alum, so obviously I loved the book because the good guys win at the end. I gained so much more appreciation for the GOAT, Coach K. I also loved learning more about Duke’s heroes (Hill, Hurley, Laettner), as well as their role players (Lang, T. Hill, Davis). The book made me love Duke even more. What I didn’t expect was to feel so bad for Kentucky’s “Unforgettables.” The author’s writing gave vivid descriptions of the manner in which all the main characters grew up to become who they were on that day in late March 1992. I really didn’t think that I could ever like Pitino, a guy who I spent the last several years making jokes about after he was forced to admit in federal court that he could not have impregnated the woman extorting him because he was a premature ejaculator. Narration was really good.

A six star audiobook for basketball junkies

I loved this story and highly recommend it. Great coverage of the players, coaches and athletic programs during this interesting time in college basketball history.

A great book about a great game

Although I would argue with the title since there are great games every year, the book itself is really good. It came out 8 years ago, but the audio version is new to Audible. It chronicles the 1992 Duke-Kentucky game in the NCAAT game that Duke won in OT on a shot by Laettner at the buzzer. The book takes a similar approach as other books about a single game. It gives short biographies of the main participants and shows some history of the teams to give some perspective and set the stage. This one did an excellent job of that. It was also amazing how close Laettner, Hurley and Hill all came to going to rival UNC. This was especially so of Hurley. Hurley was UNC’s if Dean Smith had wanted him. For those who hate Laettner there is plenty to justify those feelings in the book. His nickname among teammates was A$$hole. He absolutely tormented Hurley. However, as we saw in the recent Michael Jordan series on ESPN, great players do that to get the most out of their teammates. Laettner’s actions went beyond MJ’s, but not by much. The story of the hiring of Pitino was also a good one. Pitino and K are two of the best college coaches of all time. Some of their approaches are similar, but in others they are far different. Pitino seems to subscribe to the Laettner method, whereas K although tough on players did not personally go that far. But, of course, K didn’t have to go that far because he was allowing Laettner to do it for him. I enjoy sports books. I agree that this game was one of the best college games I’ve ever seen and this book does a great job describing it and setting the scene. The reader had read a golf book I listened to recently. He was probably better suited to golf than basketball, but overall it was a great listen.

Great story, slow performance

The story is a great one for college basketball fans, but the performance is quite dull. It almost felt as though the reader was bored while reading. Very slow paced.

An interesting history of a game

I remember watching the end of this game in particular, so it does pull at my heartstrings. However, it is well written and covers a good piece of history about the players and coaches who have become legends in college basketball.

Must listen!

Great story for any true NCAA Basketball fan! Tremendous background on all the Players and Coaches involved in the Game, and Programs.

Always guard the ball!

I was 18 when this game was played. I still remember watching it. It truly was a great game. I hated Puke at the time - particularly Hurley. But this book did make me appreciate their program more. And the job Pitino did resurrecting Kentucky.

Forewarned..this book is not just about the game but about the business decisions, school decisions, recruiting decisions, coaching decisions and relationships that led up to it.

Fascinating listen. Highly recommended even if you hate Puke.