Four Corners: How Unc, N.C. State, Duke, and Wake Forest Made North Carolina the Center of the Basketball Universe

By Joe Menzer

Book Overview

For sheer intensity and excitement, few contests can match a college basketball game--unless it's one played between two in-state, longtime conference foes separated by only a few miles of the hoops highway known as"Tobacco Road." The four major Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schools in North Carolina have won eight NCAA titles and continue to dominate the modern college game like no other area in the country. ? The winners of three national titles, the North Carolina Tar Heels have been a basketball powerhouse since the 1950s. Longtime coach Dean Smith and his famous "Four Corners" offense changed how the game was played and ultimately forced the introduction of the shot clock. Down the road, the N.C. State Wolfpack won two national championships, and their coach Jimmy Valvano brought an extroverted enthusiasm to coaching still recalled with fondness and admiration. A powerhouse of big-time college basketball for five decades, the Duke Blue Devils, coached by Vic Bubas and later Mike Krzyzewski, have been to twelve Final Fours and have won three NCAA titles since 1991. In Winston-Salem the Wake Forest Demon Deacons have produced eleven All-Americans, ten ACC Players of the Year, and scores of successful NBA players. ? Collectively the Big Four have made North Carolina the center of the basketball universe. This is their story.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803283008
• ISBN13: 9780803283008
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Insightful look at history of ACC basketball

There is nothing like ACC basketball. For those of us who moved to Tobacco Rd and weren`t raised here, Joe Menzer`s book is a must. I hadn`t known much about the history of this, the premiere league in college hoops, and this well researched book with an abundance of anecdotes really helped me have an appreciation of it. As great as the players have been in the ACC, what struck me in reading Four Corners is how much the coaches have always played perhaps the dominant role in the conference. From the colorful characters like McGuire, Case, and McKinney to the intensity of Smith and Krzyzewski no other conference can match the ACC. If you are a fan of any or all of the Big Four schools you owe it to yourself to read Joe Menzer`s Four Corners.

The definitive book on ACC basketball

I read Four Corners in two settings and throughly enjoyed it. It's the definitive book on ACC Basketball. I found the behind the scenes stories especially entertaining. A must read for any fan.

A Must Read For Any College Basketball Fan

Growing up in the Carolinas, Atlantic Coast Conference basketball not only becomes a way of life at an early age, but is something you can't live without. The richness and rarity of the rivalries within the league make it like no other. From stories about the legendary Frank McGuire and the forming of the Underground Railroad to the humorous ramblings of former Wake Forest coach Bones McKinney this book captures the richness of the unique rivalry of the four schools that make up Tobacco Road. Not just a must read for ACC fans, but basketball fans in general.

A must read for any fan of college hoops

Well written, informative and a must read if you follow college basketball. If you are an ACC fan, order this book NOW! This book explains the reasons behind some of the most intense rivalries in all of sports.

A Must Read For All Sports Fans

Having grown up with ACC basketball & reading everything I could get my hands on pertaining to it, I consider Mr.Menzer's "Four Corners" not only very informative but also entertaining.Not just the historical facts, but the inside scoop kept me from putting this book down.This unbiased report on the country's college basketball hotbed is a must read for all sports fans.