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Plucked from junior college, TJ Shorts II stands tall for UC Davis Aggies

It would have to take a miraculous moment to get UC Davis Aggies head coach Jim Les to bust-a-move on national television.

Saturday's game-winning bucket from junior guard TJ Shorts II propelled the shorthanded Aggies over Long Beach State 105-104 in double-overtime last Saturday, tying them with Santa Barbara for the best record in the Big West Conference.

With 6.4 seconds remaining, the Aggies, inbounding the ball from the opposite endzone, found Shorts, who buried a the game-winning three-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining on the clock.

"I've seen that replay probably over 100 times, but it never gets old," Shorts told ABC10 following Monday's practice session. "I was open and I got a good look. It felt like any other shot. Obviously it's a bigger shot than what it felt like, but it felt like any other shot, and seeing it go through the net was great."

The Aggies, playing without their star senior Chima Moneke, who was suspended for that game and did not play, relied on Shorts II all night long. He scored a season-high 31 points in the road win and helped the team endure the loss of three more starters - Siler Schneider, Garrison Goode and AJ John - because of foul trouble.

Immediately after the failed desperation heave from Long Beach State as time expired to seal the victory, the 5-foot-9 guard jumped into the arms of Schneider, before his teammates celebrated by tackling them.

Shorts, who transferred to UC Davis after spending his first two seasons with Saddleback Junior College, said being on the bottom of the pile of teammates was almost too much for him to handle.

"That dogpile - it was tough," Shorts said with a laugh. "I was having a tough time breathing for like a quick second, but it was great. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Once he recovered, Shorts started dancing with his teammates, then noticed his normally too serious head coach had joined in on the celebration.

The UC Davis Aggies celebrate after a game winning three-point shot by guard TJ Shorts II (0) during double overtime against the Long Beach State 49ers at The Walter Pyramid. (PHOTO: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)

Even Les, who played seven seasons as an NBA player and spent time in Sacramento with the Kings, couldn't help but admire what his team accomplished on Saturday night.

"I've been a part of a lot of basketball games and that's up there and in the conversation for one of the best," Les said.

Even though he's hit many buzzer-beaters before, Shorts admitted that Saturday night was the first time he had buried a game-winner, but it's a moment he always stays ready for.

"Every kid goes through it; you're working out and at the end you're messing around and you (think) 'five, four, three, two,' and you just put up a shot that you think you can make," Shorts said. "You never know when you'll have to take a shot like that."

By the next morning, it was hard to tell which moment captured the most national attention: the heroics from Shorts or the comical dance moves of the 54-year-old Les.

"Oh, coach's dance was unbelievable, I mean, I didn't know he could break it down like that," said sophomore forward Rogers Printup, who delivered the ball to Shorts before he buried the 25-foot shot. "Hopefully he can do a little more of that this season."

Les blushes at the attention his moves have brought the program, but he knows it's all in fun. He's heard from his players, strangers on social media, including Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma who tweeted "LOL" to him. But his daughters may have given him the most grief of all.

"I've taken huge (amount of) ribbing," he said with a big nod and a sheepish grin. "My daughters aren't owning me right now. I've got to check before I do that again, make sure the red lights aren't on those cameras that are around."

The Aggies have hopes of dancing again - to return to the NCAA Men's Tournament, as they did last season for the first time in program history. But first, they'll battle for first place in the conference when they host UC Santa Barbara on Thursday at the Pavilion.

UC Davis owns the third longest winning streak in the nation with 19 straight victories heading into Thursday night's contest.

Moneke will likely remain suspended for that game. The school has declined to say what team rules were violated by the team's leading scorer, who was honored as National Player of the Week earlier this season. In a statement they said would provide updates when they become available.

When asked about it on Monday, Coach Les said he didn't know how long the process could take and left it up to the University.

"He's been suspended indefinitely and we're reviewing all the facts pertinent to it, and when we have more to say, we'll do that," Les said. "That's kind of out of my hands. I'm focusing on these young men who are here and playing hard, and they're going to make up for his absence."

Follow Sean Cunningham on Twitter: @SeanCunningham

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