ATLANTA — A metro Atlanta high school basketball team manager has gone viral for his amazing, buzzer-beating shot during his first time on the court with his team.
On Tuesday night, Pace basketball coach Sherman White surprised manager Daniel Lucke with the news that he would be dressing out and playing with the team for the first time on Senior Night.
Little did they know that he'd have the biggest moment in the game.
With just minutes left on the clock, Lucke crossed an opponent and hit a 3-point shot at the buzzer.
The video of the masterful shot -- and the crowd going wild -- ended up on Twitter. It has since been shared hundreds of times and made the rounds on TV sports networks.
On Monday, Channel 2 Sports Director Zach Klein talked to Lucke about what the moment meant to him.
“I was so grateful for everything that was happening, so excited to not just be wearing a jersey and have the team support and the opportunity to get in the game and the crowd is behind me,” Lucke said. “In that moment, all I wanted to do was give them something to cheer for.”
Lucke said he could barely remember it was a competition.
“The scoreboard fell away... It was just this performance. I wanted to show them something,” Lucke said.
Senior guard Reign Watkins said he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“He shot it and it’s almost like it was moving in slow motion,” Watkins said. “Once the ball was in the basket, it was like a movie.”
“It was another one of those lofty dreams,” Lucke said. “You can’t imagine it can actually come true.”
White said Lucke totally deserved the honor of playing with the team -- and the support he’s received since his nothing-but-net shot.
“(Lucke) has embodied what it means to be selfless in active service,” White said. “I wanted to find a way to reward him for his commitment to our program.”
The team now has its sights set on a state championship.