In preparation for tonight's tilt between the Georgia Tech and Georgia Basketball teams, AJC writer Mike Tierney takes us back in time to one of if not the most memorable game in Georgia - Georgia Tech Basketball history. The scene is set twenty years ago at the Omni in Atlanta and I remember it well. It was the night that a little used senior walk on point guard named Brian Domalik became a house hold name in the state of Georgia at least for a little while.
That Georgia Tech team came into the Georgia game with a surprising 3-3 record but with big name players like Kenny Anderson, Bryan Hill, Malcolm Mackey, and Matt Geiger. They were fresh off of a final four appearance and were expected to roll behind the star power of Anderson. Georgia entered the game not as a slouch but as the defending SEC regular season champion that was a high scoring lot that was lead by Litterial Green.
The game was an epic encounter considering that by the time the dust settled the teams had combined to score 217 points in three overtime periods. Kenny Anderson finished with 40 points and an even more astounding 55 minutes played as he never came out of the game. The game was grueling but Anderson took control in the third and final overtime period scoring eight points while leading Tech to victory.
Of course it would never have gotten to that point if not for Brian Domalik. With 24 seconds left in the first overtime and Tech trailing by three, coach Bobby Cremins drew up a would be play for Kenny Anderson. Of course Georgia coach Hugh Durham was not going to let Anderson be the one to tie the game and shifted his defense towards Anderson. The ball found itself in the hands of Domalik who let fly from several feet behind the three point arc. The result was a tie game with a mere 14 seconds left in the game.
Tech went on to win the game and Brian Domalik will always be remembered for his improbable shot in the wake of adversity.