In Rick Reilly’s last ESPN column (unofficially titled “Hangin’ with Mr. Bryant Just After Elmo“), Reilly dropped a tidbit about Kobe’s life to give us a taste of the man behind the marketing campaign: “He’s taken up golf. Played Pelican Hill the other day with Bobby Plump, the inspiration for the Jimmy Chitwood character in ‘Hoosiers.’ Forgot to ask why.”

If you go to the article today, though, you’ll see a different bit of tid: “He’s taken up golf. Played Pelican Hill the other day with Maris Valainis, who played Jimmy Chitwood in Hoosiers.” It would appear that Kobe’s Ferrari made too much noise, so Reilly mixed up his Chitwoods.

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As good a movie “Hoosiers” was, it’s made all the better by the fact that it’s based on a true story. But one just as inspiration could be happening before our eyes in Kentucky.

Only two states have a true state championship, matching up all the regional winners. Elliott County High School, with just 42 boys in the senior class, has put together a team that has steamrolled all comers so far. They’re just one win away from a trip to Rupp Arena to show the state what a small school can do.

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