In a tie game with 4.7 seconds left, the City University of New York Athletic Conference men's basketball championship game hung in the balance Friday.
Baruch College had the ball under its own basket and was set to inbound against College of Staten Island, hoping to get a good look at a game-winning shot. To achieve that objective, Baruch head coach John Alesi reached into his playbook and found … a football play?
All five players started out of bounds behind their own end line, and four of them sprinted forward in what essentially looked like pass patterns while the inbounder acted like the quarterback.
Alesi told the Washington Post he lifted the concept from something he saw on social media.
Staten Island players looked thoroughly confused, allowing for an easy inbound pass to a teammate (running back?) and a low-risk pass up the court for the game-winning shot and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.
MICHAEL RAND
