“Tough to even put into words what just happened,” said High Point head coach Flynn Clayman. “Couldn’t be prouder of this team. We’re not just here to win one game, we’re here to get to the Sweet 16.”
Johnston’s layup was the defining moment in the Panthers’ victory, but it’s even more remarkable considering it was the first 2-point shot he scored on all season. Entering Thursday, the graduate guard was 64-for-132 on 3-pointers, but 0-for-4 inside the arc.
“First and foremost, I just want to thank Jesus Christ for giving me this platform,” Johnston said. “I’m a three-point specialist, but when Rob (Martin) threw that pass, I knew that I had to put it in the basket because that if I put it in, we can shock the world. To be on this stage and play a game like this, this is something you dream about.”
Though the shot wasn’t a typical 3-pointer for him, Johnston’s game-winning shot was a moment he envisioned from his childhood.
“I remember playing basketball with my brother in the backyard, one on one, and we had our own little brackets, picking what teams we wanted to be and trying to win March Madness,” he said. “Now to be on this stage, with these guys, and be able to hit a couple shots and finish with the layup, it’s just it’s something that I’ll never forget.”
Johnston’s layup will live forever in March Madness and High Point lore, but to fully understand how the Panthers pulled off a purple-and-white upset special, here’s a step-by-step recipe for how High Point became just the second-ever Big South team to advance to the round of 32, joining Winthrop in 2007:
Step 1: Bring your Appetite
Entering Thursday’s game, High Point boasted a 30-4 overall record, the highest single-season win total ever for a Big South team. Yet critics of the Panthers referenced their non-conference strength of schedule that ranked 361st, the fifth-lowest of any team in the country and second-lowest of the NCAA Tournament field. HPU’s victory over Wisconsin sparked Clayman to campaign for future non-conference scheduling changes, particularly with power conference programs.
“It’s obvious to me that something needs to be done about this non-conference scheduling,” said Clayman. “High Point and Miami Ohio are now 2-0 in Quad 1 games. We couldn’t get (power 5) games, and they couldn’t get games. We won 22 of our last 23 games, 25 games by double digits, and we didn’t move up one spot in the metrics. Not one. (Wisconsin) is a fantastic team with five wins over Top 10 teams. If we can get games like this on neutral courts and some home games, I think we’ll know who are really the best teams.”
The preheating for the Panthers’ upset victory came from preparation seven months before the game when the team met for summer workouts.
“There’s 63 schools in the country to have shot tracker numbers, and we’re number one every week in shots taken,” said Clayman. “(Critics) can talk about whatever we have, but we’re working and selfless.”
Step 2: Add a Dash of a Undersized, High-Motor Guard
Standing at 5-foot-10, Rob Martin may appear undersized for the college game to the casual viewer. Martin played larger than life on Thursday, leading the Panthers with 23 points and dishing out 10 assists.
“My teammates found me in the right spots and I was able to make sure the right play is open for my teammates,” he said. “I try to make the right read, and really, Coach just trusted me having the ball in my hands.”
His heroics were needed early, as High Point found itself trailing 15-5 at the first media break.
“Knowing that basketball is a game of runs, we had a next play mentality and just stayed together,” said Martin. “Having each other’s back and staying poised, I know these are high-level guys I’m playing with.”
Martin carries the utmost faith in his teammates as one of the team’s three captains. The only larger source of faith that Martin has comes from his personal faith as a Christian that came alive for him in recent years.
“I got in a really bad accident two years ago and that woke me up,” he said. “I’m just being grateful and just believing in the Lord every day. I’m grateful to be here. My teammates give me the confidence to go out there and play.”
Step 3: Get Hands Dirty in the Paint
High Point versus Wisconsin represented a true David versus Goliath matchup. The Panthers entered Thursday as one of the 40 shortest average height teams, while the Badgers ranked in the Top 20. Whatever the Panthers lacked in size, they made up for in heart, as they outrebounded Wisconsin, 40-37, and pulled down 13 offensive boards. Cam’Ron Fletcher scored 14 points and snagged 11 rebounds, his second straight game in double digits on the glass, while Terry Anderson also finished with a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds.
“We felt like at that (frontcourt) position, we had the advantage,” said Clayman. “Cam was a starter at Florida State on a really good team. We talked about it earlier this year when he was going through some ups and downs and some injuries. I said, ‘man, if you just stick with this, when we get to the most important part of the season, you are going to be the best player on the floor. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
High Point’s remarkable rebounding effort inversely paralleled its performance last season in the NCAA Tournament against Purdue, when the Panthers surrendered 20 offensive rebounds to the Boilermakers in a 75-63 defeat. Clayman seized the opportunity to tailor his team and strategy differently this year, and it paid off on the biggest stage.
“That’s how we have attacked, drop coverage all year, but didn’t execute that early,” said Clayman. “We felt like last year, we didn’t execute offensively and we didn’t rebound. And we just felt like this was a comparable team to that. We got to the level of screens, executed what we wanted to in the half-court, and that was the difference in the game.”
Step 4: Cook Using a Well-Aged 3-Point Shooter for Maximum Flavor
Chase Johnston is older than almost all college basketball players at 26 years old. The Boca Raton native made history on Thursday with his 4-for-6 3-point shooting performance that pushed him past Stephen Curry in the all-time NCAA record books.
“It’s a common thing with guys who can really shoot to overlook that they are active defensively,” said Clayman. “He doesn’t get credit for his deflections, hustle, and dives on the floor. He’s been one of our leaders all seasons.”
Johnston embraces his role to provide instant offense, but he also carries a quiet fire to be an impact player on both ends of the floor.
“I think my defense is underrated,” said Johnston. “I get overlooked for that, but we have other great defenders on the team. At the end of the game, I went up to (assistant) Coach (Ben) Fletcher and said, ‘put this other guy in for size and let’s go win this basketball game.’”
Johnston started 34 of 35 games for the Panthers last season and began this season starting in the team’s first 11 games. After some early season adversity, the veteran sharpshooter transitioned to a reserve role, but remained a spiritual on-floor leader no matter his playing time.
“We started this season 8-3 and I got down to the nitty-gritty of what we needed to do because at High Point, that’s not that's not good enough for our standard,” said Clayman. “With how small we were at the at the guard spot, I asked (Chase) to take a different role. His willingness to take that role and keep leading, and then at the end of the season for him to be doing this speaks to how selfless these guys are.”
Step 5: Share the Victory with Loved Ones
Perhaps the best part of cooking is to enjoy the finished product with friends and family. For Flynn Clayman, there’s no one better to share the victory with than his wife, Katie, who made the trip to see her husband’s game ahead of an NCAA Tournament game of her own coming up on Saturday when the 15-seeded High Point women take on 2-seed Vanderbilt in Nashville.
“I didn’t get a chance to see her, but if they get an upset over Vanderbilt, that’s going to be amazing because it’s a 15 over a 2,” said Flynn Clayman. “I wouldn't be sitting here without my wife and her sacrifices. When we first met, she had opportunities to be a D1 head coach, high-major, associate head coach, all those things. She made a decision to support me and to follow where I was going. I just love her to death, and I’m looking forward to seeing her right after this.”
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