Jacob Tucker got drafted?

The internet is a beautiful thing, isn't it?

I can download any movie, TV show, or song that I like. I can watch sporting events half a world away through streaming video on my laptop. Unlimited free porn at my disposal. This guy. What's not to like?

How about this for an internet tale -- using youtube to get yourself a professional basketball contract.

That's precisely what Jacob Tucker did.

You remember Jacob Tucker. He's the 5'11" white kid from Division III's Illinois College. He campaigned his way through youtube -- winning a fan vote -- to earn the right to participate in the college dunk contest. Obviously, he won. (And while we have nothing personally against Tucker, I'm still saying that John Williams was robbed.)

But Tucker did more than just win the heart of the college basketball nation as an unlikely and unexpected underdog story. He managed to get himself drafted ... by the Harlem Globetrotters?

"It's definitely an honor because everybody knows who they are and I know all the good things they do besides just playing basketball," Tucker was quoted in a press release. "I've always wanted to be a part of something like that. I just need to look into the details of it before I agree to anything."

Apparently, what happens next is that Tucker will work out with the team to see if he can earn a spot on the roster. Based on some of the other players the Globetrotters picked, it shouldn't be that difficult. For starters, Lionel Messi -- yes, that Lionel Messi, the greatest soccer player in the world -- was picked. So was 12 year old Jordan McCabe, the dribbling phenom and Paul Sturgess, the 7'8" English center for Mountain State.

Believe it or not, there were a couple of picks that were made for reasons other than potential publicity. Andrew Goudelock, the sharpshooter from the College of Charleston, and Darnell Wilks, Cincinnati's athletic small forward, both were selected.




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D-III Dunker Jacob Tucker is getting what he wanted

By now you've all probably heard about Jacob Tucker.

He's the 5-foot-11 senior guard from tiny Illinois College with the 50-inch-vertical leap.

A week ago he posted a YouTube video of himself performing various dunks at his college's gym, in hopes he could persuade somebody to let him enter the 2011 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships.



Since then, the video has gone viral (1.75mil views), the facebook group he created has over 2,600 fans, another D-III dunker has been inspired to do the same, and now he will have a chance to earn his way into the actual slam dunk contest.

Intersport and ESPN announced today that for the first time in 23 years, there will be an online competition to determine a roster spot in College Slam Dunk. Lee (Tenn.) University’s Rico Cunningham (the player inspired by Tucker) and Tucker will compete for fan votes on the program’s Facebook page to earn a trip to The State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships March 31 in Houston.

Cunningham is a 6-foot-7 forward known for his acrobatic dunks and was featured on an episode of ESPN's SportsNation in December.



Again, fans can vote for who they want in the dunk contest by clicking this link

Tucker has to be considered the early favorite. After all it was because of his desire and determination to campaign for a spot in the contest that something like this happening.

Let that be a message to all you 5-11 guards with a 50-inch vertical - anything is possible.
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