BJ Mack on hitting game-winning shot: 'It's pretty surreal'
This was a game BJ Mack had circled on his calendar. He had a chance to go and play in front of his hometown.
With the Gamecocks playing in Charlotte on Friday, Mack made his return to the city he grew up in.
Plenty members of Mack’s family were in attendance for the team’s matchup versus Virginia Tech. His dad and uncle were even sitting court side and making a lot of noise.
With under 30 seconds to go, South Carolina went into a tie game with the Hokies after blowing the lead. But Mack had the ball in his hands with a chance to be the hero.
“Coach drew up a good play to get a shot between me and Myles (Stute) on the curl. I popped and caught it. I had seen the clock was running low for us. Coach had always told us to make strong moves so I had to get to it to make sure I made a strong move and get us in the lead,” Mack said.
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Standing at 6-foot-8, 270 pounds, Mack was able to use his size to get into the paint. As he pushed back against a Hokie defender, he spun, cut to the basket and got underneath the hoop for a tough shot. He went up with it and watched the ball go through the net to take the lead with 20.7 seconds to go.
After getting a late turnover, South Carolina regained possession with two seconds left and held on to win 79-77 on Friday.
It was a big night for Mack, who finished with 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting. To add more fuel to the fire, he was once committed to play basketball at Virginia Tech. But he ultimately decided to play elsewhere.
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“It’s pretty surreal to know that. It’s full-circle coming here, born and raised in Charlotte, playing against them here in Charlotte,” Mack said. “Just going back to when I was committed there, it was under coach (Buzz) Williams. I actually went to Wofford when coach (Mike) Young was there. So that’s a full-circle moment now.”
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It’s been a smooth transition for Mack so far at South Carolina. In his first two games with the team, he’s shooting 13-for-25 (52 percent) from the floor and 40 percent from three-point range.
But it’s not just him playing good basketball. He was one of four transfers to join the team in the offseason, all of whom have started both games this year.
“They’re confident out there,” head coach Lamont Paris said. “I’m sure, internally, maybe someone is saying maybe I could’ve had two more shots. Maybe they’re saying that but they’re not outwardly. And their teammates don’t believe that. So I just think they want to do business as usual.”
