UConn’s Jalen Adams, Kansas’ Wayne Selden Jr. lifelong friends

DES MOINES, Iowa — It probably always will rank as the No. 1 shot of this college basketball season. Connecticut freshman Jalen Adams dribbled, heaved and sank a three-quarter-court three- pointer at the end of the third overtime of a conference tournament game against Cincinnati, stunning a nation of hoops watchers.

“We were actually in the hotel, watching it. I was in the room alone, but you could just hear everybody in the hotel erupt when he made it,” said Kansas junior Wayne Selden Jr., one of the few people who was not all that shocked. “He actually did it in high school. You can see it on YouTube.”

Sure enough, as of Friday, one version of it had drawn 155,582 views, showing Adams of Cushing Academy in Massachusetts crossing midcourt against St. Andrews, letting fly and making a three-pointer at the buzzer. To turn a two-point deficit into a one-point win. In the state championship game.

Selden knew all of this because he and Adams grew up near each other in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and have remained friendly ever since they were kids.

“Our parents were super, super close,” Adams said.

They text back and forth, with Selden making a point to congratulate him a week ago yesterday on The Shot — the one that kept Connecticut’s season going and ultimately led to Saturday, when UConn and Kansas will meet in the NCAA Tournament’s second round.

“My grandmother is his mother’s godmother, something of that nature,” Selden said. “We played football together, pee wee basketball together. He’s been like a little brother to me.”

Adams said, “It’s a great feeling. I haven’t seen him in a while and I definitely haven’t played against him in a long, long time. I think the last time we played against each other was when I was at Cushing Academy and he was at Tilton. It’s always competitive.

“We played Pop Warner football when we were in the fourth or fifth grade,” the UConn player said. “He was a little bit bigger than me. He was way better than me. He had the quarterback arm. He had me in that sport.”

They will meet Saturday in their favorite sport, in a matchup between two powerhouse programs that are used to winning or contending for national titles. Kansas is seeded No. 1 overall. UConn coach Kevin Ollie is 7-0 lifetime in the NCAA Tournament.

Having two young men from the same block on that kind of stage is impressive, especially to the young men. “Especially since we come from a place where it’s not that likely for people to make it out. To be this far, it’s really a blessing,” Selden said.

Adams said, “It’s going to be fun. We’re going to be competitive out there. But off the court, it’s all love.”