There is only one shot I have been able to master in the game of basketball: the granny shot.

Senior guard Desmar Jackson was a second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference basketball player this year. He has range and has been able to dunk since the seventh grade. It gave him a lot of options for our game of H-O-R-S-E.

H-O-R-S-E is a basketball game where every made shot has to be matched by the other player, or else they get a letter from the word horse. The first person to spell H-O-R-S-E loses.

Coach Barry Hinson said he thought I would have a rough time in the game beforehand. He was right.

My favorite shooter in basketball is San Antonio Spurs forward, Matt Bonner. He has a smooth shot and is usually one of the first players to start warming up before games. He is nicknamed the Red Mamba because of his red hair. I represented him by wearing a t-shirt with a red mamba on it. It did not help me.

Jackson started the game by hitting shots from beyond the arc. I was only able to answer one of them. He did miss a couple times, which allowed me to try hitting my long-range granny shots.

It took me a while to get going, but I eventually hit a granny shot just outside the three-point line. Jackson missed, but only because he has no reason to practice granny shots.

Even with my best effort to dunk, I jumped a few feet off the ground and lost the match.

The men’s basketball team had a complete turnaround this season. They were 5-15 on Jan. 25 and their season was known for coach Barry Hinson going on a rant about the team not taking any shot fakes in a game at Murray State University.

Hinson has compared his wife to the team many times and said his wife would take more shot fakes than the team did. He said she wouldn’t win a game of horse against Jackson, but she would take more shot fakes.

The team won seven of its last 10 games, including one against Indiana State University, who finished second in conference. SIU earned the sixth seed in the conference tournament.

In the tournament, the Salukis upset the University of Northern Iowa and played in the semifinals, where they lost to Indiana State.

Jackson said he wants to continue playing basketball because he has played since he was in grade school. He will likely go overseas, but he should have no problem finding a team.

Jackson averaged 16.9 points at SIU and had 138 steals in his two years here. He became the first Saluki to lead the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and free throws in a season.

Last season, Hinson and Jackson weren’t always on the same page. Hinson said his relationship with Jackson turned around when Jackson started putting more work in.

The season is over for the Salukis, but March Madness has begun. Wichita State University is the only MVC school in the tournament, but they are a number one seed. The Shockers are undefeated this season and play Friday.

I have Wichita losing in the Sweet Sixteen, but I don’t have them making any granny shots.

Aaron Graff can be contacted at [email protected], @Aarongraff_DE or 536-3311