Jordan Gainey's game-winning shot for Tennessee at Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Rick Barnes had to get creative.

It was 1980 and the Tennessee basketball coach was in his first season as an assistant at George Mason. Despite his small recruiting budget, he was determined to bring exposure to the Patriots.

The coaching staff hatched a plan that led Barnes to DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he made a simple request to legendary coach Morgan Wootten.

“Coach, you’ve been doing this for a long time,” Barnes said. “You have to show me your favorite piece.”

Tennessee led that play Saturday at Illinois (7-3) and executed it expertly as Jordan Gainey scored the game-winning layup at the buzzer to give No. 1 led the Vols (10-0) to a 66-64 win.

How Rick Barnes learned about the game that won Tennessee at Illinois

George Mason coach Joe Harrington led the plan to make the most of the staff’s limited resources.

The Patriots would send a monthly newsletter to all high school coaches within 250 miles of the campus in Fairfax, Virginia. It would be filled with plays and insights from local coaches. The favorite game question was the focus and Wootten’s game was the highlight of the first newsletter.

It came back 44 years later when Gainey handed the ball to a referee with 5.7 seconds left in the game at State Farm Center.

Gainey, who had a game-high 23 points, was the inbounder while his teammates were nearly lined up near center court. Jahmai Mashack was the first to clear. Darlinstone Dubar followed. Igor Milicic Jr. was used for the inbound pass.

He caught it and hot potatoed it back to Gainey, who charged toward Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis.

“I saw my defender keep going back, and he just kept going back,” Gainey said. “He was just lying dead in the water.”

Mashack ran to the left wing of Gainey. Dubar cleared to the right. Cade Phillips stood at the free throw line with his arms raised, ready to set up a screen. Everyone was prepared for a possible upswing.

It wouldn’t be necessary.

“It’s just point guard go,” Mashack said. “When he’s going downhill like that, there’s only so much you can do.”

How Jordan Gainey, Tennessee, executed game-winning plays perfectly

Barnes told his team the story of the game in the locker room on Saturday. He loves the game he got from Wootten, who won 1,274 games in 46 seasons and is a rare high school coach in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Wootten’s favorite piece is now one of Barnes’ favorite pieces.

“It works,” Milicic said. “If coach Rick tells us to run it, we will believe it with all our hearts. It worked.”

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Gainey had Jakucionis back off quickly when he got the ball. He shot to the right, throwing the defense out of the way and instead using a deft dribble with his left hand. He knew it was too late to double-team. He just left.

Gainey twisted his body around Jakucionis’ rich right arm, placed the ball on his right hand and released the ball.

“It was like he was playing in the park,” Mashack said. “He knew it right when he let it go.”

Gainey fell to the ground as the ball hit the field with one second left. He watched from below the rim and between the baseline photographers as the ball bounced off the front of the rim, rattled around the side and slipped through.

“We executed it perfectly,” Gainey said.

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Every practice, Tennessee rehearses situations that will play out at the end of the game. The piece by Wootten, who died in 2020 at the age of 88, is an integral part of the preparations. That’s why Gainey said he’s ready for the moment in Illinois. His teammates ran smoothly.

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