Readable, Entertaining, Flawed | Last Dance: Behind the Scenes at the Final Four

Fun read for college hoop fans | Last Dance: Behind the Scenes at the Final Four | John Feinstein

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	• Last Dance: Behind the Scenes at the Final Four John Feinstein Back Bay Books, 2007 - 400 pages average customer review:based on 32 reviews view larger image
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ACC-centric take on Final Four history, with a special aside for UCLA and Princeton's Bill Bradley

Sports journalism is often accused of being soft-ball journalism, where sports writers cozy up to athletes, coaches, and administrators in exchange for closely-guarded access as well as reflected glory. John Feinstein, uber-successful sports journalist, has been one of the perceived worst offenders in this category - watch him contort himself into pretzels in 2005's "Next Man Up," when he portrays the NFL's Baltimore Ravens as choirboys even though they have a convicted felon as a running back and a star linebacker strongly suspected of getting away with murder.

And so when it comes to Feinstein's take on college basketball's Final Four, don't look for too much in the way of hard-hitting exposes of the flaws of college hoops, whether institutional or personal. Feinstein, a proud Duke graduate and passionate fan of amateur athletics, takes the opportunity instead to remind the reader that, no matter what the current problems are, college basketball has a proud history and rock-solid foundation of integrity, class, and talent.

Not surprisingly, this book - ostensibly about the 2005 Final Four that featured eventual national champ North Carolina, Illinois, Michigan State, and Louisville - is dominated by the stories from a handful of schools - UCLA, Duke, North Carolina, and Indiana, with quite a bit of Maryland and Virginia thrown in. Sure, Syracuse and Villanova make appearances, but the aforementioned schools dominate the book.

This isn't too surprising in that you really can't tell the Final Four story without genuflecting at the altar of John Wooden and UCLA. Feinstein gets some really touching stories about Coach Wooden and the early, more intimate days of the tournament. But the best Wooden stories involve his beloved wife, Nell. Wooden, a class act and a great coach, is Feinstein's epitome of what is good about college sports.

UNC's Dean Smith, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, and Indiana's Bob Knight are Wooden's heirs in Feinstein's eyes, and the book is replete with the tales of the interlocking rivalries among these three giants. If you're an Illinois or Louisville fan looking for a story about how your team fared in the 2005 Final Four, you're going to be sick of these guys by the end of the book. (Full disclosure - I graduated from both Carolina and Duke, and even I was tired of reading about Smith and Coach K!)

Feinstein also writes about Bill Bradley's early Final Four experience as well as those of less-heralded players. But they are all fine men who have fond memories of the Final Four, even if occasionally leavened by a painful loss.

Feinstein reserves what few barbs he wants to throw at the idiotic bureaucracy of the NCAA. To Feinstein, this pompous, bloated organization is in the pockets of the big conferences and is mainly interested in itself. But other than ruining the intimacy of the Final Four and making life a little more difficult for schools outside the "power conferences," these sins have no other consequences.

And so one can read this book without a hint of the rampant problems in college basketball, whether they be abysmal graduation rates, illicit recruiting, payola, coaches' compensation, or the fact that many schools field players who have no interest in academics whatsoever. By focusing on former players like Duke's Jay Bilas (who also graduated from Duke Law School and is one smart guy) or Senator Bradley while looking uncritically at who the players are today, Feinstein creates the impression that the Final Four is filled with future lawyers, senators, and Rhodes Scholars. And that just ain't accurate.

I love college basketball - it's my favorite sport. But even I - an uninformed outsider - am aware of the rampant problems in the sport. A journalist of Feinstein's caliber needs to be more than a cheerleader - he has a duty to be more critical of the sport that he clearly loves so much. Then perhaps we can solve the problems in the sport that are more significant than the play-in game involving the 65th team invited to the Big Dance.

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Readable, Entertaining, Flawed

I like Feinstein's books due to his easy-reading style; even when the journalism is uneven you plow right through. This entertaining yet flawed look fits that bill. Feinstein is at his best giving us the inside scoop on the final four, from player emotions, to crowded hotel lobbies, media overkill, the selection committee, etc. He does a nice job describing UCLA during the era of legendary coach John Wooden, and the exciting 2005 final between Illinois and North Carolina. Feinstein even slings some rightful barbs at the smug, bloated NCAA establishment. But the author is a bit repetitive, and he barely notices the exploitative NCAA system where coaches get rich off their unpaid players (who often don't graduate). The book also reads like a primer for the Tar-Heel State (specifically Duke and North Carolina). OK, theres some prose on other schools (Maryland, Villanova, etc.) and coaches (Jim Boheim, Bobby Knight, etc.), but the focus remains on the top dogs of the ACC. Still, I'd recommend this easy-reading book for college hoops fans.

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Fun read for college hoop fans

I'm a college hoops fanatic, from small college to the big boys. I lost interest in the NBA quite some time ago so Feinstein's book was the perfect Christmas gift this year.

I read Feinstein's books for the wonderful tales he tells and his access to coaches, players, and in this book, referrees and committee members. I didn't think I'd be that intrigued with officials and administrators, but both chapters were excellent. I've covered and followed sports my entire life and I never knew how the NCAA selection committee worked until I read this book.

Though John can get a bit obsessed with Carolina and Duke, I did like his access into both programs. I find Roy Williams long journey to a title quite interesting. I'm not usually a Coach K fan, but he brought him to life. Of all the coaches, I found Tom Brennan the most interesting, he actually seemed like a normal guy, unlike some of the other ego-maniacs who lead that profession. And of course, the interviews with the players were excellent as was the insightful look at Bill Bradley and his Princeton years.

I also like how the author takes on the selection committee, big time TV, how the tourney has lost some of its charm, and the NCAA in general. I enjoyed his opinions, though I would've liked to have known just what Rolli Massimino did to get pushed out at Villanova, it's not like those guys have rung up a bunch of national titles to get this odd sense of entitlement. Feinstein never tells us just what Rolli did.

I do agree with some of the criticisms here, mostly the repetitiveness of his stories. I chalk that up to bad editing more than anything. And I believe the book could've closed in on 300 pages instead of 400, again, I believe John needs a new editor. But neither of those complaints were enough to have me downgrade this book.

As a college hoops nut, this was just what the doctor ordered.

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Exploring what it means to a school, a coach, and a player to be in the Final Four or even at The Final, this work features stories of players and coaches who thought they'd never make it to college basketball's final weekend, the spectacular triumphs of the winning teams, and the heartbreaking defeat of those who missed the cut.

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