Lights are never too bright for Aaron Harrison
Kentucky Wildcats guard Aaron Harrison (2) scores the winning 3 point shot during the NCAA Final Four vs. Wisconsin at the AT&T in Arlington, Tx., on Saturday, April 5, 2014. Photo by Eleanor Hasken
April 6, 2014
By David Schuh | Basketball columnist
With six seconds left in the Final Four, who else was going to take the game-winning shot, if not UK freshman guard Aaron Harrison?
He had done it before.
Against Louisville and Michigan, Harrison hit 3-pointers with under a minute to play to push the Cats to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.
So standing 25-feet from the basket as the clock slowly ticked down on UK’s season, Harrison hoisted a deep 3-pointer over Wisconsin junior Josh Gasser.
It didn’t matter that he had just five points on the night and hadn’t attempted a 3-pointer yet in the game. The shot went in anyway.
The shot gave UK a one-point win and a berth in Monday night’s National Championship game. For the third time, Harrison had resurrected the Cats’ season when it looked bleak.
UK head coach John Calipari has reiterated his belief in the freshman guard. So when he knew his team would have the ball, trailing, with less than 10 seconds to go, there was really only one clear option.
“We knew what we were going to do,” Calipari said. “When we huddled I said ‘We’re going to Aaron boys. Anybody got a problem with that?’”
That trust may have been there before this tournament, but has been solidified since. Without Harrison’s heroics, the Cats would have lost more than a week ago.
After another miracle shot in the waning moments of a pressure-filled tournament game, UK finds itself in the National Championship, trying to become the second 8-seed in history to win it all.
The Cats’ road has been miraculous, and Harrison has played a central role in every late-game comeback.
The shots themselves are one thing, but the moment has gotten bigger and bigger each game. On Saturday, it was in front of 79,444 people at AT&T Stadium, the most to ever see a college basketball game.
The stage is never too big for Harrison. When he caught the ball and saw less than 10 seconds on the clock, he relished the opportunity to take the fate of the game in his hands.
“I want to be the one to take that shot,” he said. “And I’m not afraid to miss.”
If Calipari needs Harrison again on Monday, he’ll surely be ready. The Cats probably hope the game against UConn isn’t as close, but it must be comforting knowing their teammate has made the winning play over and over again on the way to the title game.
Harrison’s shot on Saturday will go down as one of the greatest in UK history.
But who knows? If the past is any indication, there may be an even greater one to come.
