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This year’s countdown to tipoff includes an overall look at the best play in Arizona Wildcats history, which will be determined as the days leading up to tipoff. Today marks 41 days until Arizona starts its 2014-15 season against Mount St. Mary’s on Nov. 14 at McKale Center. Along with the mentioning of the top plays, the countdown will once again display the top players who wore the number that corresponds with the day. The following is the next top play (they will be listed randomly during the countdown until a determination is made in a bracket):
MoMo Jones shoots the game-winning jumper at Stanford in 2010 (YouTube video capture)
Stanford’s Maples Pavilion is a special place for memorable Arizona victories via the buzzer-beater shot and three players with New York ties were responsible.
Sean Rooks, a New York City native, banked in a game-winner in 1991 and Khalid Reeves, from Queens, N.Y., went coast-to-coast in five seconds to beat the Cardinal with a last-second shot in 1992.
MoMo Jones, from Harlem, banked in a 16-foot jumper as time expired to give Arizona a 71-69 victory at Maples Pavilion in Sean Miller’s first season of 2009-10.
Derrick Williams set up Jones’ shot by hitting one of two free throws with 30 seconds left to tie the game at 69, then blocking Stanford’s Jack Trotter on the previous possession.
Brandon Lavender grabbed the loose ball and passed to Jones, who ran to Lavender to get possession of the ball.
Jones dribbled to the right side of the key and released the jumper over a defender for the game-winning bank shot.
The Wildcats mobbed Jones on the Maples Pavilion floor before officials reviewed the monitors to make sure Jones got the shot off in time.
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ARIZONA’S TOP PLAYS LISTED SO FAR (Click on link to access blogs that pertain to the following)
— Chris Mills’ buzzer-beating jumper in regulation gives Arizona life in its 105-94 overtime victory over UCLA in 1991.
— Kenny Lofton’s behind-the-back, double-pump dunk caps rout of Oregon in 1988, ranks as one of college hoops’ best dunks of that season.
— Salim Stoudamire’s game-winning long-distance three-pointer downs UCLA in 2005.
— Derrick Williams’ emphatic blocked shot against Washington in 2011 saves game for Arizona.
— Khalid Reeves’ coast-to-coast game-winner with less the five seconds left beats Stanford at Maples Pavilion in 1992.
— Steve Kerr’s first shot after father’s assassination in 1984, a 25-foot jumper against ASU, gives him hero status in Tucson and contributes to Arizona’s emergence in the Pac-10.
— Sean Rook’s last-second bank shot at Stanford in 1991 gives the Wildcats a 78-76 victory.
— Salim Stoudamire’s game-winning jumper against Oklahoma State in the 2005 Sweet 16.
— Sean Elliott’s free throw breaks Lew Alcindor’s conference scoring record in 1989.
— Craig McMillan’s McClutch shot at the buzzer from full-court pass from Steve Kerr against Oregon State in 1986.
— Arizona 6-10 center Bob Elliott’s 35-foot jumper at the buzzer beats Kansas State in 1973.
— Sean Elliott downs Duke with three-pointer over Danny Ferry in last minute in 1989.
— Miles Simon’s 65-foot bank shot as time expired to beat Cincinnati in Phoenix in 1996.
— Tom Tolbert’s no-look, twisting shot against North Carolina in the 1988 Elite Eight.
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“You will see a lot of highlights from Maples Pavilion of Cardinal-Wildcat finishes but this is as wild as any of them,” Dave Sitton, the late Arizona television broadcaster, said of Jones’ shot (view accompanying YouTube video).
It was Arizona’s second win in a seven-game span as Miller worked toward getting Arizona back to respectability after Lute Olson’s retirement and two interim staffs in 2007-08 and 2008-09. The Wildcats improved to .500 at 14-14 overall and 8-8 in the Pac-10.
Williams led the Wildcats in scoring with 24 points while Jones had 16.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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