The Edge of Legend chronicles Barton College’s run to its first and only national championship appearance in the 2007 NCAA Division II basketball tournament, which epitomized the meaning of March Madness.
And when the Bulldogs took on undefeated defending national champion Winona State University in the finals, they were the ultimate underdogs, too small in every way.
Predictably, they trailed by 7 with 45 seconds left, and the game was all but Winona’s. Then hometown hero Anthony “Ant” Atkinson led perhaps the greatest comeback in all of college basketball championship history, and Barton went from ordinary Division II unknown to the most celebrated team of the year.
That game was the phenomenal culmination of Ant’s heart-wrenching saga. From age six, Ant lived for two things: a future in basketball, and to see the face of God. Along the way, he became an electrifying talent, proven in battle against the likes of Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, but his life didn’t play out like those future NBA superstars, like everyone thought it would.
His journey demanded great sacrifice, over time claiming his tears, his blood, and ultimately, his dreams. The Edge of Legend is about an incredible story of faith and basketball, but it’s also about a son and his father, generational curses and broken dreams, and a relentless pursuit of redemption.
Praise
“Within the hidden world of Division II basketball, there is a story so fantastic … so otherworldly that it absolutely needs to be told. Here, in The Edge of Legend, lies the raw, gritty heart of the game. Brandon Sneed does a masterful job. A must-read.”
— Jeff Pearlman (New York Times bestselling author of Showtime, Sweetness, Boys Will Be Boys)
“The story of Anthony Atkinson is like so many great American stories: Unlikely, inspiring and sadly untold. But no longer. Brandon Sneed gives Anthony’s story the care and platform it deserves.”
—Will Leitch (founder of Deadspin, author of Are We Winning? and God Save The Fan)
“Anthony Atkinson was the key ingredient, the not-so-secret formula, behind one of the greatest comebacks, and the greatest upsets, of all time. Brandon Sneed tells [his] story so very well, from the heart, from humble beginnings, to the triumphant climax that is indeed The Edge of Legend.”
— Russell Rawlings (author of Cyclone Country)