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Visiting the birthplace of Tyrone Garland’s “Southwest Philly Floater”

La Salle v Ole Miss

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 24: Tyrone Garland #21 of the La Salle Explorers makes the game-winnng shot in the second half against Reginald Buckner #23 of the Mississippi Rebels during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Sprint Center on March 24, 2013 in Kansas City, Missouri. La Salle Explorers wom 76-74. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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By now, everyone’s seen La Salle’s last-second win over Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament second round, thanks to Tyrone Garland’s shot in the lane with just seconds remaining.

Afterward, Garland gave Craig Sager the name of the shot, introducing the world to the “Southwest Philly Floater”.

Well, CSNPhilly.com went back to find out where the roots of the shot were planted. It turns out it goes back to the playground courts of southwest Philadelphia, where Garland is from.

And his cousin, Bernard Tyler, was the one who showed him the way of the floater, including how to get the shot up over taller defenders.

“Just get it over the big man and leave it in God’s hands,” Tyler told CSNPhilly.com by phone Monday afternoon with a laugh. “Being a guard, playing in Southwest Philly, I always told him he would need that in his game. Just having fun with him, I said, ‘that’s the Southwest Philly Floater.’

It worked, getting it over 6-9 Reginald Buckner of the Rebels with three seconds left and propelling the Explorers into the Sweet 16 with a 76-74 win on Sunday.

Garland’s path through college basketball started when he went to Virginia Tech after finishing in the Top 10 in Philadelphia Public League history with 2,198 points. He eventually transferred to La Salle after averaging less than five points per game in a season-and-a-half with the Hokies. He’s flourished back in Philadelphia, averaging 13 points per game after becoming eligible at the end of the first semester.

Follow David Harten on Twitter at @David_Harten