a few years after inventing basketball, james naismith founded the basketball program and was the first head basketball coach at the university of kansas. last friday a former university of kansas basketball player who is currently a high school basketball coach in kansas was the vicitim of a failed prank .
High School Coach Spoils Prank
Joel Branstrom figured he was about to be the butt of some kind of joke when he was blindfolded at a pep rally and told he would win tickets to the NCAA’s Final Four (college basketball championship finals) if he could hit a half-court shot. But the popular girls basketball coach played along and sent the Olathe Northwest High School gym into a frenzy Friday by hitting the improbable shot.
“I’ve been around long enough and done these kinds of practical jokes,” said Branstrom, who also teaches biology at the suburban Kansas City school. “I figured they were trying to punk me. I knew they would cheer regardless to make me think I hit it,” Branstrom said. “I let it go, they cheered, I heard laughter. I seriously didn’t know I made it for a while.”
“I would love a chance to go to the Final Four,” Branstrom said. No such luck. The students never had the promised tickets, so they wound up buying him a gift card to a Mexican restaurant.
preceding branstrom’s real-life shot by 2 years was the movie semi-pro. it includes this scene where a fan makes a shot from 3/4 court. player/coach/owner jackie moon (played by will ferrell) calls the promotion the “moon shot” and similar to the students in olathe, ks, he does not have the $10,000 prize money.
i applaud coach branstrom’s impressive shot and espn and yahoo! for illuminating a clear example of life imitating art.
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