Tulsa hero gets emotional after buzzer-beater with father in crowd for first time
Tulsa junior Elijah Joiner sank Wichita State fans’ hearts as his became full.
Tulsa beat WSU 54-51 on a buzzer-beater as Joiner drilled a contested three-pointer. After the game, he explained why the shot meant even more.
“I honestly never pictured this moment with my father being here for the first time,” Joiner said. “I’m just so happy that he was here for this moment. That means so much for me to see him in the crowd.”
Immediately after hitting the buzzer-beater, Joiner was mobbed by his teammates, and the Golden Hurricane students stormed the court. Joiner found his father, and they hugged. Joiner’s father, with his right arm wrapped around his son, raised his left fist in victory.
Tulsa coach Frank Haith said Joiner’s relationship with his father has been “growing.” Haith said he dealt with Joiner’s mother and step-father throughout Joiner’s recruitment out of Curie Metropolitan in Chicago.
Before the game, Joiner told Haith his biological father would be in the stands for the first time since Joiner got to Tulsa in 2017. Joiner said he knew Saturday was the day his father would see him in a Tulsa uniform for “a while now.” It was coincidence it was the best game of his life.
After Joiner hit the biggest shot in his career, he couldn’t hold back the tears. He said he never imagined his father cheering him on this far in his life.
“But he’s here, and I’m just so happy that he’s here,” Joiner said as Haith leaned over and hugged his rising star.
“I just thank God that he helped us build the relationship we have now. That’s my right-hand man. I’m just glad to see him out here, excited to see his son perform.”
Joiner finished with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting with five rebounds and five assists. Joiner started the season on the bench but has grown into the starting lineup. Haith called him, “Chicago tough.”
Haith said he became a coach because he loves being around players and enjoys nurturing their growth as men.
“The competition is exciting,” Haith said. “You hope at the end of the day, you help these young men max out on and off the court. ... You want these guys to reach their potential as a basketball player and a person. That never changes.
“Elijah is growing as a lot of our guys are, but I’m really proud of him where he’s at as a young man, too.”
With the win, Tulsa improves to 15-6 and 7-1 in the AAC, maintaining its conference lead.
This story was originally published February 1, 2020 at 8:38 PM.