A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
When I woke up this morning and popped on the TV, the first thing I heard was, “Twitter it exploded last night! Find out why next.”
My first thought was that Rob Lowe had said something provocative. Then I had an awful thought that maybe someone had gotten injured, sick, or worse…but I immediately was reassured by the tone of voice of the speaker.
No, this wasn’t a negative Twitter explosion. It was a jubilant.
And then I found out why.
And oh me, oh my.
I just came across the video below, which was posted on Saturday at the official YouTube channel for Heidelberg Mens Hoops and has apparently made the rounds, seeing as how it is close to one million views.
Heidelberg University, if you don’t know (as I didn’t), is a private school in Tiffin, Ohio. It’s sports teams play in Division III. Over the weekend one of Heidelberg’s players produced a highlight that you might not expect from a D-III hoopster.
Nate Davis (no, not this one…or this one) delivered quite possibly the most remarkable putback dunk I’ve ever seen. Don’t believe me? Watch.
If you’ve loitered around these parts for a while, you know of my unyielding respect for the late Manute Bol. He is one of the most unique athletes to ever pick up a basketball; more importantly, he is one of the most unique men to ever play professional basketball. The term “gentle giant” has never been more apropros.
And on a related note, the phrase “jaw dropping” has never been more apropos in a basketball context than when viewing the picture below of Manute and the legendary Spud Webb.
Growing up, Michael Jordan was my second favorite athlete in any sport. (No one trumped or will trump Calbert Cheaney.) I was a huge Bulls fan, I watched every Bulls game I could, I read every MJ book I could get my hands on, and I pretty much knew everything that was publicly available to know about him.
I never knew however, until just a few minutes ago, that MJ once shattered a backboard with a dunk. (Seriously, where the hell have I been?) But he did, and the video evidence below proves it.
First off, a hat tip to the best AM roundup of sports links on the web: The Big Lead.
The Cavaliers defeated the Knicks 124-93 last night. That’s great, but it’s the Cavs and the Knicks so it’s not the result was ever really in question.
What will now be in question is whether LeBron James’ ridiculous dunk last night – which didn’t actually count – ends up being the most impressive dunk of the year.
When most people hear the term “basketball in Indiana” they think of the movie Hoosiers, Bob Knight, Larry Bird, and fundamentally sound white dudes with picture perfect releases on their shot.
I grew up in Indiana so I know that while that stereotype is there for a reason, there is much more to basketball in our proud state than short shorts and short jumpers.
So…if I told you that the dunk of the year in college basketball (at least so far) comes from tiny Goshen College in Indiana - a Mennonite liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,000 – I’d assume that you’d all be just as surprised as I am.
But don’t be.
