The Back Roads to March: The Unsung, Unheralded, and Unknown Heroes of a College Basketball Season
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The Back Roads to March: The Unsung, Unheralded, and Unknown Heroes of a College Basketball Season Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

John Feinstein (Author, Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 424 ratings
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Thirty years after changing the sports book landscape with his mega-hit, A Season on the Brink, number one New York Times best-selling author John Feinstein returns to his first love - college basketball - with a fascinating and compelling journey through a landscape of unsung, unpublicized and often unknown heroes of Division-1 college hoops.

John Feinstein has already taken listeners into the inner circles of top college basketball programs in The Legends Club. This time, Feinstein pulls back the curtain on college basketball's lesser-known Cinderella stories - the smaller programs who no one expects to win, who have no chance of attracting the most coveted high school recruits, who rarely send their players on to the NBA.

Feinstein follows a handful of players, coaches, and schools who dream, not of winning the NCAA tournament but of making it past their first or second round games. Every once in a while, one of these coaches or players is plucked from obscurity to continue on to lead a major team or to play professionally, cementing their status in these fiercely passionate fan bases as a legend. These are the gifted players who aren't handled with kid gloves - they're hardworking, gritty teammates who practice and party with everyone else.

With his trademark humor and invaluable connections, John Feinstein reveals the big time programs you've never heard of, the bracket busters you didn't expect to cheer for, and the coaches who inspire them to take their teams to the next level.

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  1. Listening Length
    14 hours and 8 minutes
  2. Author
    John Feinstein
  3. Narrator
    John Feinstein
  4. Audible release date
    March 3, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B082M6TNH9
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 14 hours and 8 minutes
Author John Feinstein
Narrator John Feinstein
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date March 03, 2020
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B082M6TNH9
Best Sellers Rank #50,342 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#41 in Basketball (Audible Books & Originals)
#50 in Basketball Coaching (Books)
#51 in Coaching

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
424 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tom W
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent basketball book by an outstanding storyteller
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
I first discovered John when he did play by play analysis for my beloved VCU basketball games. What I loved most about his commentary was his many stories. He has had a rich career as a sportswriter/commentator and we all benefit from his vast knowledge of all sports. All that comes together with this book! I loved John’s emphasis on mid major teams (especially the VCU Rams). I could listen to his stories for days on end. This book is a good start.
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Joel Moss
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2021
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Interesting read for any fan of college basketball Gives a great look into the players and coaches of teams in college basketball who don’t get the headlines the big name schools do
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Zelene Bunch Roulhac
5.0 out of 5 stars Best teams I never knew
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024
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Follow this read with "The Last Amateurs" to appreciate what college hoops are like beyond the Power Conferences. Where the student-athletes go to class, study, & graduate. Loved this!
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Timothy Schum
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2020
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John Feinstein is a basketball junkie and his love for the sport shines through this book. He knows everyone in the game and somehow links all of them together at one time or another in this book -- and others he has written.

Perhaps how he covers a game is a bit repetitious (points; assists; rebounds, etc) but his ability to capture the essence of everyone he covers is so good that one can overlook this minor blemish.

In this era where writers are devalued, he stands out book after book. Always a good read.
One person found this helpful
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Reads for fun
3.0 out of 5 stars He's a great writer, but this isn't his best effort
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2020
I really like John Feinstein's books. A Season on the Brink is absolutely a classic. He always shows great insight, has a ton of anecdotes, and humanizes the athletes and coaches. However, as I read this book, I couldn't figure out why I didn't love it like I do the rest of his books. I found myself going between couldn't wait to get to the next page and couldn't wait to put it down. I finally figured it out - when he talks about the personalities and their life challenges and triumphs, it was great. However, when he goes into game minutia (GW went on a 7-0 run, no one scored for 5 minutes, etc.), it gets really boring - and he does it a lot. I found it very hard to get through; but I can't wait for his next one.
One person found this helpful
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Dean Chambers
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2020
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This book gives me a fresh perspective of college basketball... following the smaller schools and programs. This book does not disappoint and the back stories are great. A must read for any avid basketball fan!
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Peach
4.0 out of 5 stars Another outstanding book by Feinstein
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2020
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I've read every book Feinstein has written. As always John gets you behind
the scenes and gives the reader stories and information that you wouldn't otherwise get. I really appreciated the stories John tells on the Big Five. I would love to see John write a book on collegiate wrestling where there is no next level. I think John would find this a very interesting subject.
7 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great College Basketball by Mr Feinstein
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2020
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Another great basketball book by Mr Feinstein. Great writer. You feel like you are courstide with him. Reminds me of The Last Amateurs. Detailing the stories of the little guy in collge basketball. If you enjoyed his other basketball books, You will like this one.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Garnet DuGray
5.0 out of 5 stars Feinstein does it again
Reviewed in Canada on March 22, 2024
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Great read about those you don't hear of.
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Andrea Palmia
5.0 out of 5 stars Magnifico!!!!!
Reviewed in Italy on April 21, 2021
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John Feinstein è una garanzia,libro da leggere ed assaporare riga per riga da parte dei veri amanti del College Basketball!!!!!
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Feinstein CLASSIC
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2020
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John Feinstein writes sports books. It's what he DOES. This is another bdlter! Some of these colleges I've never heard and I'm not a big fan of college basketball or even basketball in general. But the author writes with such passion and engages the reader so well, that I would read ANY book he writes. SUPERB
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shay
3.0 out of 5 stars Too many schools covered
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2023
Verified Purchase
In some ways,it was there were too many coaches being followed which made it difficult to remember who was who a d to what college they were attached.
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