About the Author

Dana O'Neil, a senior writer at The Athletic, has been a sportswriter and national college basketball reporter for more than three decades, covering eighteen Final Fours. She covered her first Big East game in 1990 and has been a regular at the league's press tables ever since. She has also worked at ESPN and the Philadelphia Daily News and has been honored with multiple writing awards. She served as the president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, only the second woman to lead the organization. A graduate of Penn State, she lives in Newtown, Pennsylvania, with her husband and two children.

Reviews

“This book captures the inside of a special time in Big East basketball. If you love the game, this book is a must read!”—Jim Calhoun, former University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach

“From its inception in 1979, the Big East has produced some of the most exciting college basketball we’ve ever seen. We now know that the action behind the scenes (in locker rooms, living rooms, and most of all the coaching meetings) was even more fascinating  than the action on the court. I can’t imagine a better pairing of writer and topic than Dana O’Neil and this conference. The stories contained in this book are richly reported and colorfully told. Dig in and enjoy!”—Seth Davis, reporter, CBS Sports and The Athletic

“The heyday of Big East basketball provides a treasure trove of material for an author, and there is no one better for this assignment than Dana O’Neil. She covered it, she lived it, and she revives it with an evocative, feisty flourish. Older fans who want to relive the bare-knuckled glory and the wild stories—and new fans just hearing these tales for the first time—are rewarded by an ideal marriage of subject matter and author.”—Pat Forde, senior writer, Sports Illustrated

“The original Big East was gritty and nasty, with a back-alley brawl among rivals every game. It was filled with larger-than-life coaches and superstar players in some of the most epic games ever. Dana O’Neil captures the very essence of that amazing convergence of characters in a league that can never be duplicated. Her book is ‘must read’ and ‘must keep for future generations.’”—Jay Bilas, analyst, ESPN

“O’Neil . . . gives the Big East its due in this engrossing history. . . . With this colorful account (one coach called the conference ‘Camelot with bad language’), O’Neil skillfully shows the importance of personalities off the court and on. This is a must-have for March Madness fans.”—Publishers Weekly

“This all-inclusive, highly engaging history is as compelling as the Big East Conference itself during those over-the-top years and will delight basketball fans of all ages. . . . The smooth narrative incorporates firsthand accounts from many of the era’s headliners, partnered with O’Neil’s expert research. This is, to date, the most comprehensive and objective history of this era of the Big East: the rivalries, players, coaches, and championships that were, O’Neil says, ‘almost too preposterous to believe.’”—Library Journal

“O’Neil . . . delivers the goods here: a lively, detailed, often-hilarious, and ever-compelling history that should lure even the casual college-basketball fan. And just in time for the coming season.”—Booklist