Brandon University coach sinks basket from mid-court

In Brandon Manitoba, Brandon University basketball coach Gil Cheung sank a basket from half-court winning free tuition for a student.

The video of the Brandon Bobcat's coach sinking the basket has gonve viral on the Internet. Cheung made the incredible shot during a Shoot Out For Tuition contest at Brandon University last Friday, February 15th. The contest is sponsored by a local restaurant.

Cheung told CBC News:"The ball just felt real good. I stood there and as soon as I let it go ... I didn't think it could miss."The last time Cheung landed a three-pointer was in a Canada West conference game just 10 years ago last week.

In the contest, students were selected at random to participate in the contest. They could shoot themselves or name anyone else present to the shot for them. Mason Kaluzniak was the lucky student to name the coach to take the shot for him. Kaluzniak does not have to worry for his tuition for a year. Kaluzniak had attended the game because he simply wanted to see the Bobcats win over the Regina Cougars. He is taking a degree in Bachelor of Physical Education Studies at the university. When asked on CNN why he picked Cheung to make the shot Kaluzniak said:"At BU we have a student body of about 3,000 people, so I know, especially in our phys-ed department we're really tight-knit with our professors and the coaches, so when I went out there the only guy that I really knew was Gil . I really never thought it was gonna happen, so I figured I may as well pick a friend of mine so that when he missed I could bug him."

As of the posting of this article, the video had received over 1.4 million hits. One spoil-sport comment claims that the shot should not count since the coach's foot went over the center line. Locals are calling it the shot seen around the world.

Brandon TV station sells for one dollar!

Years ago when I lived in Brandon and the Craig family owned CKX it was a cash cow! Now the udder has dried up. It remains to be seen whether the new ownership can make a silk purse from this sows ear to mix metaphors! Times are certainly changing as owners of local TV and newspapers are finding. The future is in cable and on the internet it would seem because that is where the advertising dollars have gone.
Claasen the head of the media company that bought CKX previously worked at a defunct Montreal newspaper. Sounds encouraging!
This is from the CBC.


CTV sells Brandon TV station for $1
Last Updated: Thursday, July 16, 2009 CBC News
CTV is selling its CKX-TV Brandon television station for $1 to Bluepoint Investment Corp., a Canadian company headed by media-industry figure Bruce Claassen.

The Brandon station, formerly owned by CHUM and before that by Craig Media, has been in danger of closing.

CTV had said it would not renew the station's licence and CBC has decided not to renew its affiliation agreement.

Bluepoint is expected to take ownership Dec. 31, pending approval from the federal regulator.

"We are delighted to announce our acquisition of the Brandon station, the first part of our strategic plan to become a significant media player in North America," Bluepoint chief executive Colin Berrie said.

In hearings before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, CTV has said it cannot afford to produce local programming in small markets.

CTV has told the CRTC it is facing financial constraints because of declining advertising and competition from other electronic media.

Recently, the CRTC increased the pot of funding available for local programming by small market stations to $100 million annually. CKX-TV Brandon is expected to be able to take advantage of that fund.

CTV spokesman Paul Sparkes said 39 people currently work at the Brandon station and the takeover is good news for local jobs.

The station was previously slated to be sold to Shaw Communications for $1, but the Calgary-based cable company later pulled out of the deal.

Claassen is head of media management firm Genesis Vizium, based in Toronto, and previously worked at the now defunct Montreal Star newspaper.

With files from the Canadian Press