Growing up, every young basketball player dreams of that shot. Playing in their backyard, countless kids have winded down the clock before putting up their shot as time expires. Swish. Nothing but net.
So many times, it's just a dream. But this weekend, as Jalen McFerren let go of a prayer from near the scorers' table, it became the sophomore guard's reality.

The Chico State basketball player's miraculous half-court heave won Saturday night's game against Cal State San Marcos. As the ball improbably swished through the net as the buzzer rang out, Acker Gym erupted with excitement. Social media flooded with comments, retweets and uploads of McFerren's shot. And, on the court, the entire Wildcats team chased McFerren as he ran a victory lap of pure amazement.

"When we left the gym, I couldn't believe it happened," McFerren said.

By many accounts, it wasn't supposed to happen. Chico State trailed most of the game, which was the Wildcats' first meeting with Cal State San Marcos. Down 71-60 at one point, the Wildcats clawed their way to a three-point deficit with a minute to play. McFerren then hit his first 3-pointer of the night to even the score.

But, with 1.2 seconds left in the game, Cal State San Marcos' Darnell Taylor was sent to the free-throw line to seal the game. He made the first and, after the Cougars called a timeout, accidently banked in the second.

McFerren said Chico State had a play drawn up, but the ball was supposed to go to Robert Duncan, not him.

"My first thought was 'this isn't the play,' " McFerren said. "I instinctively took a dribble and just threw it up."

The Wildcats routinely get a half-court shot each in pre-game shoot around. McFerren made his before Wednesday's game, but the game-winner was different. McFerren barely had enough time to turn and get a good look at the basket.

"When it first left my hands, I didn't really think it was going in," he said. "I mean, I shot it to make it. But what are the odds of it actually going in?"

When he watched the ball sink through the net, McFerren paused briefly. It didn't click to him that he had just sunk the most unlikely of game winners. But as his teammates rushed towards him, he figured a victory lap was in order.

"It was the biggest shot of my life," McFerren said.

McFerren's family was at the game, along with many of his friends. One of the best parts of the shot, McFerren said, was getting to share it with those around him.

"Just seeing how happy everyone in the community, in my family and my teammates were, their reactions were priceless," he said. "Everyone got to experience it with me, and that was the coolest part."
          
In the locker room after the game, Head Coach Greg Clink addressed a team still filled with jitters over what just happened. McFerren said Clink asked the team what would have happened if the Castro Valley High grad didn't make that shot. Clink wanted to make sure that even with the moment they just shared, the team knew it had to continue working hard.
           
"Hopefully, we can get back to being humble and take the negative things from that game and get better at it," McFerren said. "We've been down a lot this year, and we've been able to come back. Hopefully we can start making strides towards getting off to good starts and holding leads."
           
The same goes for McFerren. He said he's seen the video at least 40 times now, and his phone continues to go off with congrats from friends and family alike. He took Sunday off to soak it all in, and hit the court Monday morning to continue working on his game.
           
"It's hard, but I have to keep working on my game and keep getting better," McFerren said. "I'll always have a good vibe about this moment, and I don't want to completely forget about it. But I have to try and put it behind me as much as I can."
           
His team needs him to. Chico State (9-1, 3-0 California Collegiate Athletic Association) has another tough matchup this weekend at rival Sonoma State. The Wildcats will need their guard, who is averaging 11 points per game, to lead the way. Because they know teams are coming for them.
           
"Now, everyone's going to come in and give us their best shots," McFerren said.
           
Moving forward, McFerren's goals and the team's are one in the same. The 'Cats are after a conference title, and they want to compete on the national stage. This shot won't be forgotten for a long time. But they don't want it to be the only memory from this season.
           
"This team is really good at looking at each game, each day and getting better," McFerren said. "Each day, we're going to get better. Each day, we're going to work on our flaws, and we're just going to keep striving towards excellence."