NEWARK - It only takes one moment to find redemption. For JR Inman and the Rutgers men's basketball team, it took 4.3 seconds.
With the game tied at 61 after a rebound and put back by Seton Hall's Jamar Nutter, the Scarlet Knights junior found himself with the ball in his hands and a chance to be the hero.
Inman - a long time source of antipathy from fans - received a pass along the sideline in front of the Rutgers bench and, with time quickly running out, let go a running off-balance three-pointer off of one leg.
The shot fell through the net, barely touching rim, and definitively before the buzzer. It made the Knights winners, 64-61, in their last game of the season and Inman the most popular man on the floor as he was immediately mobbed by his teammates.
"Anthony got the inbounds pass, took two dribbles and saw me up the floor, and no one was guarding me," Inman said in describing the game-winning play that accounted for three of his seven points. "Once I caught it, I really took no hesitation. I didn't even think.
"I work on shots like that all the time in practice. Just running, doing runners in the lane, even from three. So I just had my form ready. I just told myself I was gonna put it up and see what happens."
The shot seemed to be as much a game winner for the forward from Pomona, N.Y. as a monkey off of his back, after a long and criticism-ridden season for Rutgers' leading scorer.
"It was a great feeling," Inman said about how he felt after hitting the game winner. "The greatest feeling I've had all season."
Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez realized the significance of the shot for Inman, with news of his season-long distractions making its way to the rival coach.
"From what I understand, JR Inman has gotten a hard time this year. He's really been through a rough stretch," Gonzalez said. "Let me tell you something: That kid is talented.
"I wish we had that kid and he made a hell of a shot, so you gotta take your hat off to a guy that shoots a runner. He has the presence of mind to shoot a runner from three."
But Inman might not have had his chance to be the hero if the game had played out differently in its waning moments.
The Knights battled back from a 17-point deficit in the first half - a half in which they shot a paltry 26 percent from the field - to go on a 26-3 run that gave them a 43-37 lead midway through the second half.
Seton Hall wouldn't let the game get away from them. They tied the game at 57 with a second under three minutes remaining before controversy hit the floor at the Prudential Center.
With 2:37 remaining in the game, Corey Chandler was called for traveling, prompting Rutgers head coach Fred Hill Jr. to bolt outside of the coach's box - an action that should result in a technical foul. Despite uproar in the arena, no call was made. Instead the officials stopped the game to discuss the issue. It ended with a no-call against Hill and incredulity on the opposite bench.
Gonzalez expressed his displeasure after the game about the no-call on Hill by questioning the credentials of the referee who made the call, especially after he was called for one himself earlier in the game after what he thought was a rash decision on the official's part.
Play resumed and the Pirates quickly retook the lead on a free throw by Eugene Harvey.
The deficit prompted Hill to call a timeout to set up a way for his team to regain the lead. It resulted in a play run for an unlikely option.
Mike Coburn found Jaron Griffin, a 26 percent shooter on three-pointers, on the wing for a three to take the lead. Griffin would finish with a team high 12 points.
After trading free throws, Seton Hall found itself down two with 24 seconds remaining.
Harvey drove the lane, but Chandler was there to meet him - feet planted to draw a charge.
The play should have wrapped up the victory for the Knights and made its Newark native Chandler the hero. After a scoreless first half, he erupted for 11 points in the second half to spark the comeback and drew the critical foul.
Instead, the Knights fumbled the ensuing inbounds pass and turned over the ball to Seton Hall.
Down to their last possession, Nutter scored on a third chance after misses by himself and Laing.
After Nutter converted, it left the door wide open for Rutgers, and Inman walked right through as its Knight in shining armor.
After the victory, Inman, the last player to leave, sat alone on the locker room bench taking in his achievement but already looking forward to next year, ready to put a tumultuous year behind him.
"It feels great," Inman said. "I really think that there's something in store for this team in the future. I can't really tell what it is or the quality, how much success we're gonna have. But all I could tell is that it's gonna be something great."
