Douglas native takes charge — literally — in D1 basketball game
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech basketball coach Chris Beard approached one of his student managers two years ago and told him he would try to get him into a game, preferably on senior night.
Well, that night was tonight.
And that manager was Ty Larson, a Douglas, Wyoming native.
It's one thing to dress and actually get into a Division-I basketball game. It's another to do something like this, especially just hours after actually becoming eligible to play:
With 23 ticks remaining on the clock and the Red Raiders rolling visiting Iowa State, Larson stepped in front of a driving Javan Johnson, drawing a charge under the hoop.
As you can see in the clip above, the Texas Tech bench -- and the 4,000-plus in attendance -- lost their collective minds in celebration. Larson was picked up off the court by his new teammates. He slammed his chest and clapped his hands as he made his way to the other end of the court.
Larson, who was a two-time team captain for the basketball team and the starting quarterback for the Douglas Bearcats, did play two years of junior college basketball at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, Wyo., before moving to Lubbock to pursue a coaching career.
"Ty is a college basketball player," Beard said postgame after the 81-54 win over the Cyclones. "... Like many of us in this profession, he knew his playing days were over but a coaching career could be a real possibility with his love of basketball. He came here to be our student manager, student assistant, and his role this year as the head manager. He's done a great job.
"Tonight, I was able to keep my word and give Ty an opportunity to dress out."
ESPN's Scott Van Pelt even tweeted out: "Seems like a good place to start a show ..."
Check out some of the love Larson is getting on Twitter tonight:
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