It’s not every day that an Eastern Tennessee State University athletic team makes national headlines, but when they accomplished a feat as remarkable as this one, people were quick to take notice.
The university put together a contest for the students that seemed like a very, very long shot: Each of two players would have one half-court shot at a preseason game, and if BOTH players sank their shots, then the school would cover a semester’s tuition for two lucky students. If only one managed to sink it...no one would walk away with anything.
So with low expectations, but high hopes, junior guard Devontavius Payne (representing student Garrett Pack) and senior guard T.J. Cromer (representing Jeremiah Pearson) stepped up for their shots.
The players taking the shots had no shortage of confidence, with Payne saying before letting fly, "He's about to school for free, man." Simliarly, Cromer guaranteed he’d make his shot before launching it as well.
It turns out this is a very prescient backcourt that ETSU basketball is sporting.
And, in case there was any question about what went down next, we’ll let the guys from Sportscenter call the action:
Done. And. Done.
Lest you feel bad that the school suffered a bad beat on this (You shouldn’t, by the way), it seems like even the school itself is benefitting from this unlikely occurance. Says, ETSU Associate Athletic Director for Communications Michael White to WBIR, “We could not purchase the type of visibility it’s created overnight.”
The two beneficiaries will get their spring tuition covered from the contest, but sadly, a third student wasn’t quite so lucky. Freshman guard Kayla Marosites came close on her attempt, but failed to sink her half-court shot, which would have given free tuition to another student.
As they say, two out of three ain’t bad, so let’s see if any of this success translates on the court when ETSU’s men’s and women’s basketball seasons begin next month.
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