Buzzer Beaters and Memorial Magic

The late 1980s were a boom time for college basketball, and the Vanderbilt Commodores were right in the middle of it. Led by Hall of Fame Coach C.M. Newton, All-America center Will Perdue, and a group of three-point shooters known as """"The Bomb Squad,"""" the Commodores made their mark in the Southeastern Conference and challenged for the conference title in 1988 and 1989. Along the way, they played—and, often, beat—many of the game's national powers, including Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisville, Duke, Notre Dame, Indiana, Michigan, and Kansas. Here is the inside story of those Commodore teams as told by Barry Goheen, the Vanderbilt guard and """"Bomb Squad"""" member who became nationally known for his numerous clutch shots and """"buzzer beaters"""" that lifted the 'Dores to victory. Goheen and his Commodore teammates encountered many of the greatest players and coaches of the era--Bob Knight, Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Danny Manning, Chris Jackson, Digger Phelps, Denny Crum, Steve Alford, Rex Chapman, Glen Rice, and many more. They captured thrilling wins, endured painful losses, and achieved several firsts for the Vanderbilt basketball program. This is a story centered in Nashville, Tennessee, particularly Vanderbilt's venerable Memorial Gym, with stops in Hawaii and Taipei; Chapel Hill and Durham, North Carolina; Bloomington and South Bend, Indiana; and Lincoln, Nebraska. Even the casual basketball fan will enjoy Buzzer Beaters and Memorial Magic.

"Barry Goheen may have been a tremendous basketball player at Vanderbilt, but he is an even better story teller. His eye for detail and his unfailing memory make this far more than the standard memoir of an ex-jock. It is a deftly captured, warmly told account of the golden years of Commodore hoops." -"Robert Weintraub, New York Times Bestselling Author of No Better Friend, The Victory Season, and The House That Ruth Built." "The first time I ever attended a Vanderbilt basketball game, Barry Goheen sank a game-winning three-point shot from half court to beat Louisville. From that moment on, I've been hooked on Commodore basketball. In "Buzzer Beaters and Memorial Magic," Barry shares the inside stories behind the many special moments during his remarkable college basketball career. It's a compelling story any basketball fan will enjoy, and any Vanderbilt fan will find irresistible."-Andrew Maraniss I love reading about basketball history. And you do, too! Barry's first-person account of what happened in and around his late 80s Vandy teams is awesome, chock-full of 'I didn't know that!' moments. A must-read for any lover of college basketball! -Bob Rathbun, 11-time Emmy Award winning Voice of the Atlanta Hawks and college basketball

Barry Goheen is a """"Double 'Dore,"""" having graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1989 and the Vanderbilt School of Law in 1994. Goheen practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, and serves as chairman of the Atlanta Tip-Off Club.