Jonathan Wallace is one of the best free throw shooters in the history of Georgetown basketball. And on more than one occasion, he has gone to the stripe with the outcome of the game hanging in the balance. We all know how clutch he is and are all very thankful to have such a great free throw shooter on the line in close games. But, personally, there is something that impresses me more than his free throw makes.

It is his free throw misses. Everyone knows Jon has the ability to make critical free throws. This year’s Villanova game and the team’s most recent win at Marquette immediately jump to mind. But what most people might not know is that Jon has an equally amazing ability to miss marginally important free throws to add excitement to the final seconds of a game. Let’s take the recent Marquette win as an example. When Jon had to nail the three free throws to force overtime, he did it with aplomb. However, when the team was up two with under 10 seconds to play in overtime and his next free throw would essentially guarantee a worst-case scenario of a second overtime, Wallace missed. Because of the pressure? Certainly not. For the drama. The miss meant Marquette had a slight opening, one chance to maybe make a miracle happen. And when it did not come to fruition, the fans were twice as happy.

There was a similar situation in the historic Duke game from 2006. Wallace was at the free throw line with his team up two. He again made only one of two, as if to dare JJ Redick to add to his 41-point night by forcing overtime. But again, the last hopes for the opponent were not to be, and Georgetown walked away with a dramatic victory.

You see, Wallace knows Georgetown. He knows that Hoya fans don’t expect anything to come easily. We except to fight tooth-and-nail down to the final buzzer. And he knows which free throws he must make and which he can afford to miss. The makes win the game, the misses add to the drama of the game. In my recollection, his misses have never cost us a win, just a few added seconds of anxiety before the cathartic feeling that only a hard-fought victory can bring. And, for that reason I love Jonathan Wallace. Not just for the free throws he makes, but for the ones he misses.

What is your favorite Wallace moment? Post a comment.