Why to root for Little Rock: bombs-away star, hand-shattering coach

DENVER — He hit The Shot Heard ’Round Little Rock And Beyond, and Josh Hagins doesn’t wa♏nt it to end Saturday night against Iowa State.

It was Hagins, as fearless as they come, w꧟ho buried the 26-foot step-back jumper that forced overtime and ignited the 12th-seeded Trojans to their miracle dou𒉰ble-overtime comeback triumph over Purdue. It was Hagins, who had waited four years at the school, who raced over to the side of the court where the Little Rock fans were erupting with joy, pointed at former Knicks coach and alum Derek Fisher, and roared: “That’s for you!” Hagins was asked what prompted him to do that.

“I guess the main thing was just unders𝐆tanding that we don’t quit,” Hagins said. “Derek Fisher, his whole life has been about just being tough, being focused, being always in tune, always engaged. We kind of took that same approach. With us, man, we’re a bunch of guys that really didn’t get the same opportunity as everybody else, we play with a chip on our shoul🌸der, man. We play with an edge. It’s kind of what got us to this point, and it’s going to keep us going.”

After three s🌄easons of Sun Belt Conference agony 🥀of defeat, Hagins is soaking up the moment that must have seemed like an impossible dream for him.

“We really embrace getting this chance to kind of be on the national stage, get some respect,” he said. “We play on ESPN3 a lot, also on tꦗhe Internet, but for us to kind of get this exposure and this chance to play with the big boys, man, it means a lot.”

If you are looking for a team to ado𝕴pt, if not Middle Tennessee State, if not Yale, try Little Rock. The coaಞch punches chalkboards at halftime and breaks his hand, and exhorts the Little Rock fans, wearing a mask of intensity. The star never met a shot he didn’t like and survived and advanced to this dream season. You can call them Cinderella. But they don’t believe they are.

“We got a lot of confidence in ourselves, we’re not one of those teams that was just happy to be here,” Hagins said. “We came here for a reason. This ✨team is just not ready to quit playing 𝄹with each other.”

First-year coach Chr🎶is Beard was asked what he was thinking when The Shot Heard ’Round Little Rock And Beyond was in the air.

“Please go in, like Josh deserves this,” Beard said. “Here’s a senior that’s played college basketball the right way, who’s been unselfisܫh all year long. I mean, think about this again, guys — he plays at Little Rock for three years, he’s an all-conference player. Now it’s his senior year, he wantsဣ to play in the NCAA Tournament, that’s what he wants.

“Now there’s a coaching change. His phone’s probably ringing off the hook, people are trying to get him to transfer and stuff. He sticks with me, he doesn’t know me. He sticks with Little Rock, he stays unselfish. First time I ever met him was about 10 minutes after 🧜the press conference when we got hired. He’s like, ‘Coach, I’m not going anywhere. I want to finish what I started.’

“And so in moments like that, when that ball was in the🍒 air🐬 — I mean, c’mon, man, if there’s some justice here, this is a good kid who deserves this ball to go in.”

Hagins,♓ a 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard, finished with a career-high 31 points and became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to score at least 30 points with five rebounds, five assists and five steals … on his 22nd birthday. He is a careeꦬr 11.6-point scorer.

“It was one of those moments I’ll never forget,” H🍌agins said.

He was asked how many times he had watꦰche💟d the shot.

“I’d probably say about six times, people keep tagging me [on social media] like I wasn’t in the game,” Hagins said, an🌜d smiled.

The son of military pa♔rents, Hagins left Little Rock after sixth grade for Bossier City, La.

“I actually thought I could choose how tall I wanted to be, I was gonna say I was going to be 6-6 and I was going to be 6-6,” Hagins said. “Growing up, I was a Vince Carꦓter guy, I loved Allen Iverson, everybody did, obviously … Tracy M༺cGrady. I was a Spurs fan, believe it or not. As I got older, I realized I wasn’t going to be 6-6, so I started liking guys more my size. Like I loved Nate Robinson, he’s got a lot of heart. I love guys like that.”

He loves game-defining moments like that.

“I’ve always had confidence in myself,” Hagins said. “I wasn’t like arrogan𒈔t or cocky, at the same time I’ve always had inner belief that I can do a lot of things on thꦿe basketball court, it’s just kind of who I am.”

He’s having the time of his life.

“Absolutely, absolutely,” Hagins ☂said. “But at the same time, I still got to be locked in, though.

“I’m not ready for this to be over.

“This is my last chance. I don’t get this back.”