The Shot Heard ‘Round The World
Posted on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, 7:01 pm
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By Jerry Ratcliffe
It was the shot heard ’round the college basketball world, and the shot that put Virginia on the national hoops map back in 1971.
Barry Parkhill sank a 12-foot baseline jumper over Kevin Joyce with six seconds to play that lifted Virginia to a wild, 50-49 upset over then-No. 2 South Carolina at University Hall. The Gamecocks were the second of four straight home games (Clemson, South Carolina, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech), and UVa swept the four opponents to earn the Cavaliers’ first-ever national ranking (No. 15).
With current day No. 5 Virginia playing at South Carolina on Wednesday night, we thought it would be a good time to reminisce about one of the greatest moments in Wahoo basketball history, Jan. 11, ‘71.
“I would be lying if I didn’t say in my travels with the University, that game comes up quite a bit,” Parkhill told this columnist.
A fundraiser for UVa athletics for the past quarter century, Parkhill is legendary. One of the big wheels at Virginia once told me that when Parkhill walks into the office of a big-time CEO with Virginia ties, anywhere in the nation, that these guys are like kids again. They all remember the greatness of Parkhill, who is as modest an athlete as you might ever encounter.
“It was a special moment,” Parkhill said. “If you’re a basketball player growing up, you dream of a last-second shot, beating whoever you’re playing against.
“You don’t know how you’ll respond when you’re in that position,” Parkhill said. “I was just lucky that it went in.”
Told you he was modest.
It was a wild game. The Gamecocks came to town with a reputation of being bullies with John Roche, Tom Owens, Tom Riker, Kevin Joyce, John Ribock and Rick Aydlett, but Parkhill said that South Carolina’s players were mislabeled. He got to know them and said they were really good guys.
They were coached by Frank McGuire, who was not above causing a few confrontations during a game.
In fact, at this particular Virginia game, Parkhill will never forget he was dribbling over in front of the South Carolina bench (in those days there was not a shot clock or a five-second rule, so players could dribble the ball as long as they wanted), when he noticed McGuire walking down to the baseline.
“There was a sportswriter on press row that had a rubber chicken, and was getting all over Coach McGuire,” Parkhill remembered. “Well [McGuire] was going to confront this sportswriter. The clock’s still running, but then the game stops. Nothing really happened but some yelling and screaming.
“After the incident the officials called a double technical foul, and to this day I can’t figure out why it wasn’t just a technical on South Carolina,” Parkhill said. “I shot a technical, Roche shot a technical, and we kept playing.”
Virginia coach Bill “Hoot” Gibson’s game plan was to shorten the clock, which meant the Cavaliers _ mostly Parkhill _ would hold the ball, dribble for long periods of time. In fact, Parkhill remembered dribbling for six solid minutes over one stretch of the game.
South Carolina didn’t score the final seven-and-a-half minutes of the game, and in fact, Virginia held the ball for the last shot.
“At the time, you know what? I didn’t think anything about it,” Parkhill said. “I knew I had to get it up and I turned and shot it. I’ve probably missed a whole lot more than I’ve made, whether it was that shot or other jump shots.”
The ball went in, the crowd _Parkhill believes it was the largest “paying” crowd ever at U-Hall, in the aises, everywhere _ went wild and his teammates hoisted Parkhill on their shoulders and carried him off the floor.
“I think sometimes you have to want to be in that position,” Parkhill said. “Give me the ball, I will get a good shot up. Sometimes players run and hide, but you don’t know how you’ll react until you’re in that position. If you’re successful, then it’s a little bit easier the next time. You’ve got to be willing.”
Joyce, who was guarding the 6-foot-4 combo guard Parkhill, the last few minutes of the game, would occasionally have a few choice words for the Cavalier as Parkhill dribbled away the clock before the shot. Parkhill ignored him.
They haven’t seen much over the years, but when they have, Parkhill doesn’t let Joyce forget about the moment. In a good-natured way, of course.
“I do have a picture in my basement of the last shot (over Joyce),” Parkhill grinned. “I ran into him a few years ago in New York. I was (on Wall Street) to see a Virginia grad, and Joyce was on the trading floor. I had the picture copied and I told the Virginia grad to go and give the picture to Joyce, just to bust his chops.”
It was the shot that lifted Virginia out of college basketball obscurity and put them in the Top 20 for the first time ever, and started something that’s still very special in Charlottesville.
Today’s Wahoos will attempt to hang another ‘L’ on the Gamecocks on Wednesday night.
Parkhill will be watching.
