Christian Laettner has a reputation as a little bit of a jerk. He’s arguably the best college basketball player ever (he’s the only player to start in four Final Fours), but he’s also in the conversation for most hated. Your relative opinion of him can run from Kentucky fans, who still grit their teeth when his name is mentioned, to Duke fans, who accept his abrasive personality with two spoonfuls of National Championships. But could his spiny personality have helped Duke stay motivated to win its second consecutive title in 1991-92? That’s one of the questions a new documentary produced by Bobby Hurley and Laettner, scheduled to be released as part of CBS and Turner’s March Madness coverage this coming spring, will attempt to investigate.
Christian Laettner Is One of College Basketball's Most Polarizing Figures. (Credit: TruthAboutIt.net)
An example of an anecdote from the documentary comes from USA Today: driving to the hole in a pick-up game, Hurley rocketed the ball off of Laettner’s face instead of passing it to an open man on the weak side. However, that sort of antagonism may have been what kept the Blue Devils on edge during the repeat season. If the previews from the USA Today preview are anything like the rest of this movie, it will be must-see television for college basketball fans. There’s no doubt that opinions have probably mellowed over the years, but this should be a unique opportunity to look behind the game footage of one of the most dominant teams in the history of college basketball and into the strong personalities that made it happen.
The documentary will air on TruTV next March.