YAHOO.COM/Connell, Wash. - High's Cole Vanderbilt was a relative unknown in the
basketball world, but all that changed two days ago, when a viral
YouTube video turned him into one of the most hated players in
Washington.
As the Tri-City Herald reported,
Vanderbilt turned into public enemy number one when Michael Christenson
decided to film a game between Connell and Highland (Wash.) High to
prove to parents at Highland that the basketball league needed better
officials.
As it turns out, the clip did more than just spotlight an officiating
problem; it also made seniors Cole Vanderbilt and teammate Kennan
VanHollebeke look like the dirtiest players on the court.
Someone apparently didn't appreciate the fouls -- the fifth foul is
definitely of the flagrant variety -- because before anyone could blink,
the video had gone viral, with one website proclaiming Vanderbilt to be "the dirtiest basketball player in America."
While Christenson certainly proved his point with the video, what he
didn't expect was the outcry on YouTube from commenters who viewed the
clip. The negative and sometimes hurtful responses to the fouls forced
Vanderbilt's coaches and family to go into damage-control mode.
"[Cole Vanderbilt] a tough kid, but those that know him know he's a
teddy bear," Connell coach Oscar Garza told the Tri-City Herald. "My
7-year-old son loves him and lights up when he's around. But on
(YouTube) he's the world's meanest, ugliest kid. It's not fair, but I
just want him to know his teammates and coaches are behind him."
