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Jamaal Tinsley shoots over Michigan State's Charlie Bell in the 2000 Midwest Regional Final.
(Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
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By Chris Speckman | March 22, 2006
For a split-second, Jamaal Tinsley appeared to be Iowa State’s savior in the 2001 NCAA Tournament. After the second-seeded Cyclones fell behind 15th-seeded Hampton 58-57 with 6.8 seconds left, Tinsley traversed the court with relative ease on his way to a potential game-winning layup.
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“I had a clean look,” Tinsley said. “But it was like a toilet bowl. It went in and came out.”
As Tinsley’s last-second shot went, so did his Cyclones. Only a year after reaching the Elite Eight, Iowa State became only the fourth No. 2 seed to be flushed out of the first round since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Obviously, an upset of such magnitude is extremely rare. But, as Tinsley points out, a missed layup isn’t all that uncommon.
“It happens,” Tinsley said. “I was up against their leading shot-blocker. I thought he would at least attempt to jump. He fooled me.”
Tinsley’s prediction was well-rooted in reality. Hampton’s Tarvis Williams had already turned back six Cyclone shots before he let Tinsley drive by.
But Williams made the right moves all night. After all, he somehow managed to stick around long enough to hit Hampton’s last shot even though he played most of the second half with four fouls.
Tinsley may have mistepped his senior year. But he helped the Cyclones dance deep in the tournament in 2000.
As winter came to a close during Tinsley’s junior season, Iowa State warmed up. The Cyclones extended their winning streak to 10 games with NCAA Tournament wins over Central Connecticut State, Auburn and UCLA, earning them a date with top-seeded Michigan State.
“I remember how hard it was to get there,” Tinsley said. “It was just a fun atmosphere on the way to the Elite Eight.”
Time ran out for Tinsley’s team against the Spartans, whose roster included Charlie Bell, Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and Jason Richardson, four future NBA players. Michigan State beat the Cyclones 75-64 as the breezed their way to a National Championship.
Even though Tinsley left school without a title, he didn’t leave school without learning a lesson about college hoops.
“There ain’t nothing like college, the atmosphere is totally different than the NBA,” Tinsley said. “The fans are more into it. You’ve got the college students and the alumni that really go hard at it.”
Likely, rabid Cyclone fans will remember Tinsley the same way, even if he did miss that layup.
“I had two good years (in the NCAA tournament) and I don’t regret nothing,” Tinsley said. “It was a shot that just didn’t go in.”
Tomorrow: Sarunas Jasikevicius helps Maryland reach the Sweet 16.
