Illinois Basketball: How four seconds changed everything

Re-live my viral court storm after Illinois’ 74-72 win against Iowa.

The date is March 6, 2022. Illinois is hosting Iowa with a share of the Big Ten title at stake and the conference tournament is vastly approaching. For some people, you may know me as that one random writer who covers Illinois recruiting and shares his thoughts about basketball sometimes. But for others, you know me as the dude who sits in front of the Orange Krush, right behind the cheer squad, during every home game. That was me a week ago today.

How did I become a viral sensation you might ask? Well, we have to turn back the clock to the Fall of 2018 to find out.

When I first came to Illinois as a freshman in 2018, the expectations for the program were relatively low. Head coach Brad Underwood, who was just entering his second season at the time, had landed a blue-chip prospect from Morgan Park High School named Ayo Dosunmu.

I had no idea who Dosunmu was, nor did I understand the impact that he would have on those around him. He certainly impacted me upon his departure, so much so that I wrote him a tribute shortly after Illinois was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.

Three years later, Dosunmu is now one of the most popular rookies in the NBA, as he plays for his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls. Now let’s fast-forward to this season — the year Illinois won the Big Ten regular season title.

I went viral for storming the court after Illinois beat Iowa.

As is the case with any major college basketball championship, a court storm ensues. Sunday night was no different, but it was special for me.

With about 30 seconds left in the game, I left my seat to go over to the ramp that led people onto the court. A security usher told me not to go, but I felt that there was no way that I would ever experience something close to what that became. While there was jubilation on the court, something else happened.

I waited for the players to head into the tunnel when I was sent a tweet by my ex-HS basketball coach, Jim Thomas. It was a fan’s recording of his TV, referencing a dude in an electric wheelchair. That person was actually me.

Even though the moment was short-lived, it taught me to always take a calculated risk because you never know what might happen next.