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Green Bay guard breaks record for half-court shots in a minute
By Jeff Eisenberg
When Green Bay athletic officials approached junior Eric Valentin about going after the Guinness World Record for half-court shots in a minute, the walk-on guard feared it might take him weeks to achieve that goal.
"We had a 45-minute window before team dinner that night, so I really didn't think I'd get it that day," Valentin said. "I didn't want them to come with all the equipment and have to come back again because I failed them, so I tried my best to get it done as quickly as possible."
Maybe Valentin underestimated himself because he set a world record on just his fourth attempt. The 5-foot-4 guard with the reputation as the best trick shot artist on the Green Bay team sank 8-of-19 half-court shots in less than a minute, eclipsing the previous record of seven set by Washington State student Charlie Vernon on April 15.
"I was shocked the last shot went in, especially since I rushed it," Valentin said. "I really had three shots to try to make eight and I blew the first two, so I tried to get that one off just in time and I was really surprised that I made it."
Although high school and college players across the nation spend a few minutes before or after every practice firing up trick shots from behind the backboard or in the stands, Valentin has always had a greater knack than most.
His AAU coaches always complimented him on his form when he attempted half-court shots because he shot the ball rather than heaving it the way the other 12- and 13-year-olds did. And he's usually able to predict whether a half-court shot will go in as it leaves his hands the way other shooters often do a free throw or 3-pointer.
At Daytona State community college in Florida, Valentin and his buddies regularly attempted trick shots off the wall of the gym, and they once put a video on YouTube of him sinking six half-court shots in a minute. It was that video that inspired Green Bay officials to see if he'd take a shot at breaking the world record on camera.
"Now that everybody's catching wind that I set a record, it's really a cool thing," Valentin said. "I think it's something I'll remember the rest of my life."
By Jeff Eisenberg
When Green Bay athletic officials approached junior Eric Valentin about going after the Guinness World Record for half-court shots in a minute, the walk-on guard feared it might take him weeks to achieve that goal.
"We had a 45-minute window before team dinner that night, so I really didn't think I'd get it that day," Valentin said. "I didn't want them to come with all the equipment and have to come back again because I failed them, so I tried my best to get it done as quickly as possible."
Maybe Valentin underestimated himself because he set a world record on just his fourth attempt. The 5-foot-4 guard with the reputation as the best trick shot artist on the Green Bay team sank 8-of-19 half-court shots in less than a minute, eclipsing the previous record of seven set by Washington State student Charlie Vernon on April 15.
"I was shocked the last shot went in, especially since I rushed it," Valentin said. "I really had three shots to try to make eight and I blew the first two, so I tried to get that one off just in time and I was really surprised that I made it."
Although high school and college players across the nation spend a few minutes before or after every practice firing up trick shots from behind the backboard or in the stands, Valentin has always had a greater knack than most.
His AAU coaches always complimented him on his form when he attempted half-court shots because he shot the ball rather than heaving it the way the other 12- and 13-year-olds did. And he's usually able to predict whether a half-court shot will go in as it leaves his hands the way other shooters often do a free throw or 3-pointer.
At Daytona State community college in Florida, Valentin and his buddies regularly attempted trick shots off the wall of the gym, and they once put a video on YouTube of him sinking six half-court shots in a minute. It was that video that inspired Green Bay officials to see if he'd take a shot at breaking the world record on camera.
"Now that everybody's catching wind that I set a record, it's really a cool thing," Valentin said. "I think it's something I'll remember the rest of my life."
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