NEW YORK (AP) - Duke’s back-to-back title teams are the latest college basketball squads from the early 1990s to get the documentary treatment.
Former Blue Devils stars Grant Hill and Christian Laettner, who combined for one of March Madness’ signature moments, are executive producers on the film marking the 20th anniversary of their 1991 and ’92 NCAA championships. The movie is scheduled to air before the start of the NCAA tournament.
Hill became enmeshed last March with a documentary about the Fab Five, the Michigan freshmen who lost to Duke in the 1992 final. Hill wrote a column for The New York Times criticizing Jalen Rose’s use of the phrase “Uncle Toms” in the film, which the former Wolverines player produced.
Hill said Thursday the idea for the Duke movie originated three years ago, long before the Blue Devils became the most talked-about topic from the Fab Five documentary. Hill said he believed he and Laettner could oversee a “very credible” piece about their own experiences.
“We’re being very honest, and it’s our story; we know it,” said Hill, who threw the pass to Laettner for his famous buzzer-beating shot against Kentucky in the 1992 regional final. “Instead of giving someone else control or the opportunity to tell it from their perspective, we want to do it from our perspective.”
UNLV, which Duke upset in the 1991 Final Four, also was the subject of a documentary earlier this year.
“That represents from a fans’ perspective how wonderful that era of college basketball was,” Hill said of all the interest in those teams.
“Duke ’91 & ’92” will air on truTV, one of the Turner networks that broadcast NCAA tournament games.
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