There’s something in the Gatorade in Olathe, Kansas, because two people have made two seemingly IMPOSSIBLE shots on Olathe High School’s basketball court.
The first was by Joel Branstrom, the coach for Olathe’s girls’ basketball team. He made a bet with the student body that if he made a basket from mid-court, while blindfolded, he would win tickets to the Final Four. The students decided to play a prank on Branstrom: they would cheer when he would, of course, miss the shot and make him think he had won. This would work out well because there were, in fact, no tickets to be had.
The only kink in this plan? Branstrom made the shot.
The students made up for the prank by giving their super-human coach a gift certificate to a Mexican restaurant. (In Kansas? Uh, no thanks). Fortunately, since the story has gone national, there have been offers to donate the tickets.
What makes this story even weirder is that a Kansas City, Missouri, reporter who was on location to report on the freak basket added some color to his commentary by tossing a basketball over his head, in a not-at-all serious attempt to make a backward basket.
He made the shot. No, really. And check out his face when the other people there tell him that he made it. He can’t believe it.
I think I’ve made a total of two baskets in my entire life. Maybe it’s time for me to pay Olathe a visit.
The Jayhawk is a magical creature. Its powers are the stuff of legend. Every basketball court in the state of Kansas is charmed by the Jayhawk, especially that most famous court in Lawrence, named after the very inventor of the game. So, yes, if you want to hit some crazy, ridiculous, one-in-a-million half-court shot, you should probably try it on a Kansas court. Rock Chalk!