Heavenly Demons Will Live On

Jermaine Wallace is immortal. His improbable three-point basket, which swished the net with five-tenths of a second showing on the clock at the Palace at Auburn Hills, the home of the Detroit Pistons, has assured that.
Wallace plays basketball for Northwestern State University, the little school in Natchitoches. The Demons were matched with Big Ten Tournament champion Iowa in the first round of the 2006 NCAA tournament. For most of the game, things followed the anticipated trajectory. With eight and a half minutes left in the game, Iowa led by seventeen points. Northwestern coach Mike McConathy, in his excellent understated workmanlike way, kept his guys focused. Iowa apparently let down a little, and the Demons just kept coming.
Clifton Lee made four 3-pointers and a long jumper to pull NSU to within three points twice, then Jermaine Spencer scored in the lane to make it 60-59 Iowa with about a minute left. The Hawkeyes got a free throw to set the stage for Wallace’s improbable heroics. Demon Kerwin Forges missed a 3-pointer with about six seconds left and Wallace prevented the bouncing ball from going out of bounds, pivoted and sank the game-winning shot.
The place went nuts. Wallace ripped off his jersey. Of course, he was mobbed. One of the tournament’s all-time great upsets (a 14 seed over a 3) happened on one of its most memorable shots. Wallace’s heroics will be played thousands of times for years to come. The shot and the ensuing madness are instantly legendary.
This could not happen for a more deserving institution or a nicer man than demons coach Mike McConathy. He’s the kind of guy you pull for. He’s the kind of guy you want to see succeed. Even if his coaching career leads him no farther than Natchitoches, he will always have this moment. He will always have this team. He will always have Jermaine Wallace.

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