Blindfolded teacher who made half-court shot gets his Final Four tickets

A Kansas high school basketball coach who ruined his punk students’ prank by nailing a blindfolded half-court shot will be going to the Final Four anyway.

Joel Branstrom was pulled on to the court by students at Olathe Northwest High School and told he’d win tickets to the Final Four in Indianapolis if he made the miraculous heave. Branstrom knew it was a lie, but still went along with it. The crowd, which planned on erupting when he missed it, erupted anyway when he made it.

As a consolation prize, Branstrom was rewarded with a $10 Chipotle gift card. The footage became an Internet sensation, leading to someone providing him tickets to Indianapolis.

Branstrom wouldn’t talk about where they came from.

Judging by this interview, the former Kansas walk-on seems like a pretty cool guy. It’s obvious why he was the funniest teacher to prank.

Nice to see him get what he earned, and the way the Jayhawks are playing this year, it could be a very memorable experience for the alum.