Do you believe in miracles?

Voice of the Vols Bob Kesling could have dusted off the famous Al Michaels ice hockey line when Jahmai Mashack dropped the long one on Alabama.

I will – a day late.

Indeed, it was some kind of remarkable happening. The gritty Volunteer, a great defender instead of a heralded rifleman, beat the final buzzer and the Crimson Tide with a shot heard ’round the world – well, at least around the Southeastern Conference.

It was an unforgettable Saturday ending for the Food City Center gathering. From a distance, Auburn and Bruce Pearl loved it double. Something bad happened to Alabama and the league championship was finalized for him and his Tigers.

The Shack hit really was a big deal. Look for Dr. Danny White, as soon as this afternoon, to find a sponsor eager to memorialize the moment – a bronze statue out front or at least a gold coin on the court, marking the very spot where Mashack launched the greatest goal of his life.

Careful now, Sarah said, don’t jump too high on this. Somebody else may win a game sometime with a spectacular shot.

Somebody already has.

Go with me now to Stokely Athletic Center, December 18, 1981, Tennessee versus American University, game 2 of the four-team Volunteer Classic, full house, 12,700.

Tennessee did not play well. American was up by one late but couldn’t get the ball in-bounds and lost possession. Does that sound familiar?

Coach Don DeVoe set up a play. Dale Ellis was a decoy. Gary Carter was going to get an open shot at the top of the key. He missed it. American got the rebound. Tennessee fouled to stop the clock. Only three seconds remained.

The Vols were under the limit so all the visitors got was the ball out of bounds again. American again had trouble. Carter intercepted the in-bounds pass along a sideline, in the general direction of mid-court, and hit a shot from about 40 feet. Tennessee won, 59-58.

“I couldn’t take time to think about it,” Carter said. “I just had to shoot. If I had thought about it, I probably would have missed it or time would have run out.”

March 16, 2006, Greensboro, NCAA tournament, first round, No. 2 seed Tennessee versus No. 15 Winthrop, was 61-61 with 2.8 seconds to go.

Dane Bradshaw inbounded the ball to Chris Lofton in a corner. Eagles were flying all around. The great shooter put up a fade-away that looked like a prayer. It was dead center, nothing but net.

Kentucky at Tennessee, January 5, 1980, was a strange event. The second-ranked Wildcats were 12-1 with a high-scoring attack and Kyle Macy at a guard. The Vol defense must have been better than I realized. UK scored a grand total of 21 in the first half.

The score was 47-47 with 16 seconds to go. Tennessee had hit 15 of 17 free throws. UK had made one of two. It had contributed 17 turnovers. Coach Joe B. Hall was on the edge of conniptions.

The Wildcats had an unbelievable 23-16 edge in field goals but the Vols got the last one, a baseline jumper by Howard Wood, a historic shot in the spirited but one-sided rivalry.

What happened in Niceville, Fla., in the third-place game in the 2019 Emerald Coast Classic, wasn’t the same temperature as Tennessee-Alabama but we can count it. Lamonte Turner hit a last-gasp three-pointer from the corner for a 72-69 victory over Virginia Commonwealth. Rick Barnes set up the play during a timeout.

John Fulkerson made the exciting finish possible by blocking a layup and grabbing the rebound.

If you doubt that miracles happen in basketball, give this some thought. In the fourth game of Buzz Peterson’s 2002 season, Tennessee trailed Georgia Tech by 13 in Atlanta. The Vols rallied. They were only three behind with four seconds remaining. Tech missed a free throw. Jon Higgins was fouled on the rebound.

Buzz could see the possibility of Jon hitting a foul shot, missing the second on purpose and praying for a tip-in to tie. Higgins made one and banked in the second by accident.

Of course, the Vols fouled to preserve a tick and a half on the clock. On behalf of the Yellow Jackets, the honorable B.J. Eder missed the first free throw. Add it up: All he had to do was miss the second, start the clock and Tech wins. He made it.

Tennessee had the ball at the wrong end of the court with 1.5 to go. Ron Slay, big man then, media star now, threw long to Higgins. He threw long, from about mid-court, toward the goal. The ball went in. Tennessee won.

As I recall, Slay said nothing to it, folks, we had ’em all the way.

Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com