Larry Miller Time: The Story of the Lost Legend Who Sparked the Tar Heel Dynasty Paperback – September 7, 2020

For many of us growing up in North Carolina in the 1960s, Dean Smith's first Final Four teams were what cemented our allegiance to the Heels. And the greatest player of those teams was Larry Miller, whose life and legend had, for the most part, receded from attention until the publication of this fine book.The circumstances of the way the book came to be written are serendipitous, causing the reader to think of how close Miller's story came to not being told. There's too much in the book that will cause moments of joy for fans of those first great Tar Heel teams for me to spoil it by sharing them here. Suffice it to say, the book is well written, very engaging, and has the cooperation of Larry Miller himself. As a result of that cooperation, the book contains photos and excerpts from letters and interviews with Miller's teammates and acquaintances that may not otherwise have been possible to obtain.In short, for fans of those teams that established the Carolina basketball dynasty, and for whom Larry Miller was our first Tar Heel superstar, this is the book we've waited for our whole lives. Buy it - you won't be disappointed.

Growing up in Larry's hometown, his legend is well known. Although he is older than me, I came to know him more personally when he moved back to Catasauqua, and I was working at the Post Office. He was always humble and kind, just like the song! This is a must read for every local Catty die hard and every NC basketball fan. Heck, any basketball fan! His stats will amaze most readers. I read it in one day and was so amused to see names I knew along with a borough and businesses of an era gone by. I have purchased several paperback copies and sent one to our 92 year old uncle who remembers standing in line to get into the Rough Rider games at the Lincoln gym. He will be so surprised to receive it in the mail! I enjoyed many of Larry's comments and especially his poem at the end. Kudos to Stephen Demorest and his wife for getting Larry to share his story!

I thoroughly enjoyed this inside view of the Tar Heel basketball great. Miller's memories of his teammates and the coaches and other personalities of that time were engaging and fun. Well-written and insightful, with wonderful stories of that era of college and pro basketball (and of Miller's foray from hometown guy, to basketball hero, to life after basketball, and back home again) made for an entertaining read. I highly recommend this book as a great blast from the past, and a fascinating study of a guy who was a hero to so many.

Larry was one of the greatest Tarheel Round Ballers ever to wear the baby blue and white uniform. The Author dropped the ball in not mentioning if Larry ever married, had children. Also the relationship with his sister was not mentioned. Aside from growing award winning roses and tomatoes, and living a life of debauchery and alcoholism coupled with great college talent, and great moments as a pro, I feel it missed the mark. Possibly Larry purposely left these details out. Maybe I pull for our heroes to live meaningful lives after their playing careers. But at the end of the day, they are mere mortals and suffer from the same maladies as we humans do.

Knowing who Larry Miller was in high school as I, as well, am from the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania,just enjoyed the book. Larry in his home area was thought to be reclusive, however, after reading the book one sees that Larry is a very thoughtful intelligent person of immense proportions. Highly recommend this to anyone that loves basketball and loves living life to the fullest.

Here’s a review from a die hard Duke fan! I recommend this fascinating read to anyone who loves basketball and the ACC, or basketball at all... As much as I wish Larry Miller had chosen the darker blue, it was an amazing journey for him to choose UNC and Dean Smith, a gentleman whom I admired greatly and was proud to count as one of my friends. What a legacy that needed to be told! The Big Cat truly started the dynasty that is UNC basketball. Beautifully written and told by Stephen Demorest. Do yourself a favor and order a copy today!

I was a year ahead of Larry at UNC and recall first seeing him his freshman year looking like a duck out of water. As a faithful fan of the Tar Heels I was present at the revival of the program led by Coach Smith’s prize recruit. I also remember Larry from his days in Virginia Beach including seeing him training for marathons. Finally, I learned from the book of Larry’s friendship with Theo Catania, a gym buddy of mine who knew I was a Tar Heel but never mentioned the relationship. Any serious student of UNC basketball is missing out if they don’t read this delightful remembrance.

I downloaded and read the Kindle version in a couple of days. Larry Miller was one of my early UNC heroes along with Billy Cunningham and Bobby Lewis. LM has been a bit of an enigma since finishing his pro career and I only saw him once at the 67, 68, 69 reunion a few years back. It was great to read all the stories that took me back in time as well. It is gratifying to see that he is happy and proved you can return home again and be content. Young UNC fans need to read this to see one of the key players that truly launched the Dean Smith era. And praise him for choosing us over Dook.