Like all sports, basketball has its own unique features - buzzer beating shots being just one. Another is what Hall of Famer Bob Cousy called, in his book of the same name, "The Last Loud Roar." As the Celtics great described it, the home team comes from behind, forcing the opposition to call a timeout, generating an avalanche of sound from their fans. It's a part of basketball that not only puts an exclamation point on the comeback, but sometimes spurs the home team on to even more success. Sitting almost directly on the opposite side of the RAC from the visiting coach, I've seen them hesitate to call the timeout, knowing what's coming could make things even worse. What about though, when the comeback takes place on the road and there are no home fans to deliver that final burst of enthusiasm. Back in December of 1964, before I had even seen a college basketball game, much less been part of one, I remember Rutgers freshman coach Bruce Webster saying to our team - "When you go on the road, the only thing you want to hear is silence." It was a good point, one, I've always remembered.
On those occasions, silence can be its own reward and even more so when the big comeback is capped by a buzzer beating shot. On February 20, 1996, few, if anyone, watching the Rutgers game at Pitt on television, or listening on radio, thought even one of those things would occur that night. It was Rutgers first year in the Big East and, understandably, the season had more than a few challenges. Going into the Pitt game, Rutgers was 7-14 overall and 4-10 in the conference with all four league wins at home. Little in the first half suggested this was going to be the night the Scarlet Knights broke through on the road. Averaging 14 turnovers per game, Rutgers gave the ball away 13 times in just the first 20 minutes and Pitt, coached by Ralph Willard, led by 13 at the break. Nor did things look more promising in the second half when Chad Varga and Jason Maile of Pitt put on an offensive exhibition. Varga scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half and Maile, who averaged under 5 points per game, hit six threes all in the second half. Rutgers coach Bob Wenzel had employed four different defenses, none of which had slowed down the Panthers. With only 7:21 left in the game, Rutgers was down by 20 points and it looked like the benches would be cleared shortly.
However as has been proven over and over again, basketball games are 40 minutes, not 32:39 and Pitt did not score another basket the rest of the way. Thanks to shutting down the Panthers' offense, Rutgers cut 8 points off the margin, but still trailed by 12 with just 2:30 left. The Scarlet Knights final comeback began when Geoff Billet hit a three point shot and after a Pitt turnover, Damon Santiago scored to cut the Pitt lead to just seven. After Pitt came up empty again, Santiago hit a three and the lead was only four with 1:12 left. Maile who had been unstoppable earlier, missed a shot and Vontego Cummings' follow up was blocked by Rutgers Eric Clark. Pitt then made the mistake of fouling Billet, the best foul shooter in the conference, who made both, bringing Rutgers within two points with 43 seconds left. On what would prove to be Pitt's last offensive opportunity, Rob Hodgson blocked Kevin Willard's shot (son of the Pitt coach and current Seton Hall coach) giving the ball back to Rutgers. Damon Santiago (who kindly shared his memories with me) remembers that he "got the ball and raced down court with about 5 seconds to go. I got a shot off but it was a terrible fading shot that came up short. Luckily for us the ball was knocked out of bounds by Pitt with 1 second left on the clock." Rutgers coach Bob Wenzel called a timeout and as he walked to the bench, Damon was more than a little "upset," thinking he blew it."
Damon remembers that in the huddle, Wenzel designed a play for him "to come off a screen to get a shot in the corner." Knowing with one second left he had to get the shot off quickly, Damon decided he "may as well go for the 3 and the win." As the teams took their positions, Damon "knew they would be playing me to go over the top of the screen so I chose to go under the hoop to use the screen set up by Eric Clark." Clark set what Wenzel later called "a perfect screen" and Damon got "just enough separation to get beyond the three point line, catch and shoot." Unable to see the basket because of a Pitt big man jumping out on a double team, he let it "fly in the direction of the rim." Although at the time it "seemed [to Damon] like it took forever to go in," go in it did, as the buzzer sounded for a one point Rutgers victory. Santiago who scored 25 points was the hero, but others made important contributions beginning with Hodgson and Clark who had 14 points apiece. It is hard to imagine a more dramatic win and the school's first Big East road win at that.
Earlier in the season, Damon won the home game against Pitt by sinking two clutch foul shots with one second left. His buzzer beater at Fitzgerald Field House capped off a sweep of the Panthers which was especially meaningful to Damon since two of his childhood friends, Jerry McCullough (a player) and Orlando Antigua (a coach) were on the Pitt team. Damon topped off his senior season by being named to the Big East second team, an honor under any circumstances, but especially since the first team guards were Ray Allen and Allen Iverson. After college, Damon played basketball professionally for a few years and then went back to school and earned a Masters Degree. He is currently a Dean of Discipline for the Department of Education in New York. Damon's memorable shot produced the kind of win that at home would have sent the fans storming on to the court, but on the road, silence never sounded so good. Bruce Webster would have been proud.
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