UNI PANTHERS

WATCH: 10 years later, Ali Farokhmanesh re-creates iconic UNI March Madness moment with his family

Danny Lawhon
Des Moines Register

In case you're wondering if those "One Shining Moment" feelings in college basketball ever go away, Ali Farokhmanesh is again reminding us all that the correct answer is: Absolutely not.

Ten years to the day that the former Northern Iowa guard etched his name in NCAA Tournament lore against Kansas, Farokhmanesh recognized the anniversary in just about the best way possible.

Now an assistant coach for Colorado State's men's basketball team, the 31-year-old enlisted the help of his family to re-create an iconic March Madness moment during a time in which sports fans are lamenting the lack of upsets and buzzer-beaters because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Farokhmanesh, his wife, Mallory, and children Tai, Mila and Liam had a re-enactment of Ali's audacious March 20, 2010 3-pointer with 35 seconds to go that spurred the ninth-seeded Panthers past top-seeded Kansas in a 69-67 upset.

MOMENTS OF MADNESS: The oral history of that UNI game we'll never forget

Here's how it looks compared to the real thing.

Spitting image, of course. And a few tears coming from the Kansas-clad contingent is an especially humorous touch.

In case you're wondering if Farokhmanesh ever gets tired of being asked about this moment, well ... what do you think?

“Everyone’s like ‘Oh, are you sick of it?’ I’m like ‘No, it brings back awesome memories,'” Farokhmanesh said last year in an interview with the Fort Collins Coloradoan. “Those are some of the best times of my life.”

The shot put Farokhmanesh and UNI on the cover of Sports Illustrated and into the eternal conscious of March Madness.

In another 10 years, those memories will be just as fresh — only this time, we hope that live college basketball will be there along with it.

Danny Lawhon works across the Register’s sports department, from editing, social media and sports wagering to bowls, brackets and data dives. Reach him at dlawhon@registermedia.com or follow @DannyLawhon on Twitter.