JimBob
02-29-2008, 07:51 AM
Shots fall, but late call sinks fan
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
2/29/2008
A contestant at an OSU women's basketball halftime promotion thought he had won $10,000.
STILLWATER -- Lonnie Brickman hit a halfcourt shot during a halftime promotion at an Oklahoma State women's basketball game. The shot could have won him $10,000.
Upon further review, there will be no jackpot. But there will be a plane ride.
Background details? Brickman was given 25 seconds to make a layup, a free throw, a 3-point basket and a halfcourt shot during a halftime contest at OSU's Feb. 20 home game against Texas.
Brickman, a 33-year-old Stillwater resident and a former basketball player at Okeene High School, hit all four shots. Because it was later determined he stepped on the 3-point line and stepped over the half-court line, he forfeited the prize.
Brickman said he is "bummed out" about not getting the $10,000.
"Rules are rules, so that's the way things go," he said. "I hate it that it had to end that way."
Brickman, who doesn't intend to file a lawsuit, will not walk away empty-handed. He said he was offered two round-trip American Airline tickets to anywhere in the United States by Cowboy Sports Network. He hasn't chosen a destination yet.
The promotion was funded by Kent Houck of the Stillwater-based Houck Agency. Houck said he contracted with IMG, which is OSU's multimedia rights holder, to stage the halftime contest. Houck said he purchased an insurance premium through OddsOn Promotions to pay the $10,000 prize in case anybody hit all four shots.
Houck said an auditor for OddsOn Promotions reviewed video and found that Brickman was on or over the line on two shots.
The money would not have come out of Houck's pocket even if video review had worked in Brickman's favor. But Houck says he is being made out to be the "enemy" and he said he regrets that because all he wanted to do was be a promotional partner for the women's basketball program.
"It just amazes me, the controversy," Houck said. "It's not any controversy to me. The rules are the rules. Nobody hoped that he won more than I did because that's the greatest publicity you can get is when somebody (wins) it."
Houck said Brickman had to sign a release form before participating in the contest stating that the shooter had to stay behind the necessary line on each shot.
Houck said he was teaching a Bible class when Brickman hit the halfcourt shot. Houck later spoke with Brickman and told him that rules stipulate video verification would occur before the prize could be awarded.
Houck said video showed that Brickman stepped over halfcourt and, before that, stepped on the 3-point line.
"That ended the contest right then and there if anybody would have known it, but nobody knew it until the video was sent in and they looked at it," Houck said.
Houck said Brickman was very disappointed "but he has never said one negative thing. He has been very humble and kind. I think he understood. He didn't deliberately step on the line, but that's the rules."
Brickman said Houck "was upfront with me from the get-go and showed me the rules and showed me everything and didn't try to hide anything from me. From what he told me, everything seemed to be on the up and up from his standpoint."
Brickman said he is "pretty convinced" a foot was on the line when he shot a 3-pointer. But he wouldn't mind seeing additional evidence that he broke rules. He would like to see freeze-frame pictures that are of a higher quality than those he has seen.
Brickman said he can't absolutely say he was across the halfcourt line. The OSU halfcourt stripe does not extend all the way across the court because of a sprawling midcourt logo at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Houck estimated Brickman was across halfcourt by about half a foot.
"People have said you should give him the money, anyway," Houck said. "But that's not the rules of the game."
Brickman said he got a DVD of the contest video, but has been unable to view it.
"I don't know if I didn't have the right format on my computer or what, but when I tried to play it, it said the DVD was blank," Brickman said.
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
2/29/2008
A contestant at an OSU women's basketball halftime promotion thought he had won $10,000.
STILLWATER -- Lonnie Brickman hit a halfcourt shot during a halftime promotion at an Oklahoma State women's basketball game. The shot could have won him $10,000.
Upon further review, there will be no jackpot. But there will be a plane ride.
Background details? Brickman was given 25 seconds to make a layup, a free throw, a 3-point basket and a halfcourt shot during a halftime contest at OSU's Feb. 20 home game against Texas.
Brickman, a 33-year-old Stillwater resident and a former basketball player at Okeene High School, hit all four shots. Because it was later determined he stepped on the 3-point line and stepped over the half-court line, he forfeited the prize.
Brickman said he is "bummed out" about not getting the $10,000.
"Rules are rules, so that's the way things go," he said. "I hate it that it had to end that way."
Brickman, who doesn't intend to file a lawsuit, will not walk away empty-handed. He said he was offered two round-trip American Airline tickets to anywhere in the United States by Cowboy Sports Network. He hasn't chosen a destination yet.
The promotion was funded by Kent Houck of the Stillwater-based Houck Agency. Houck said he contracted with IMG, which is OSU's multimedia rights holder, to stage the halftime contest. Houck said he purchased an insurance premium through OddsOn Promotions to pay the $10,000 prize in case anybody hit all four shots.
Houck said an auditor for OddsOn Promotions reviewed video and found that Brickman was on or over the line on two shots.
The money would not have come out of Houck's pocket even if video review had worked in Brickman's favor. But Houck says he is being made out to be the "enemy" and he said he regrets that because all he wanted to do was be a promotional partner for the women's basketball program.
"It just amazes me, the controversy," Houck said. "It's not any controversy to me. The rules are the rules. Nobody hoped that he won more than I did because that's the greatest publicity you can get is when somebody (wins) it."
Houck said Brickman had to sign a release form before participating in the contest stating that the shooter had to stay behind the necessary line on each shot.
Houck said he was teaching a Bible class when Brickman hit the halfcourt shot. Houck later spoke with Brickman and told him that rules stipulate video verification would occur before the prize could be awarded.
Houck said video showed that Brickman stepped over halfcourt and, before that, stepped on the 3-point line.
"That ended the contest right then and there if anybody would have known it, but nobody knew it until the video was sent in and they looked at it," Houck said.
Houck said Brickman was very disappointed "but he has never said one negative thing. He has been very humble and kind. I think he understood. He didn't deliberately step on the line, but that's the rules."
Brickman said Houck "was upfront with me from the get-go and showed me the rules and showed me everything and didn't try to hide anything from me. From what he told me, everything seemed to be on the up and up from his standpoint."
Brickman said he is "pretty convinced" a foot was on the line when he shot a 3-pointer. But he wouldn't mind seeing additional evidence that he broke rules. He would like to see freeze-frame pictures that are of a higher quality than those he has seen.
Brickman said he can't absolutely say he was across the halfcourt line. The OSU halfcourt stripe does not extend all the way across the court because of a sprawling midcourt logo at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Houck estimated Brickman was across halfcourt by about half a foot.
"People have said you should give him the money, anyway," Houck said. "But that's not the rules of the game."
Brickman said he got a DVD of the contest video, but has been unable to view it.
"I don't know if I didn't have the right format on my computer or what, but when I tried to play it, it said the DVD was blank," Brickman said.