Highlands basketball crossover, alley-oop dunk video goes viral

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, January 20, 2019 | 11:51 PM

Were it not for some pressure defense in the final seconds of a nonsection game Friday, Highlands basketball standouts Luke Cochran and Johnny Crise might not have become the stars of an Internet viral video.

But a Seneca Valley defender played tight on Cochran as the clock wound down, and the rest became history.

The Instagram account House of Highlights posted a clip of Cochran crossing over a Seneca Valley defender, who fell to the ground, then throwing an alley-oop pass to Crise for a dunk at the buzzer of Highlands’ 67-47 victory.

Highlands crossover, alley-oop

“I didn’t understand why they were pressing, but I was like, there’s only a couple seconds left, so I guess I can fool around with the ball, just put on a little show for the crowd,” Cochran said. “I did that, and I saw his feet cross, and when I snapped back, I saw him start to fall and thought, maybe this could turn into something more.

“I drove, and I was just looking to run clock out, but then I saw Johnny cut backdoor, and usually when I see Johnny like that, I know he’s going up for it. I kind of just threw it up and let him do what he did.”

@LukeCochrann x @Crise_20 #SCtop10 @SportsCenter @WPIALBasketball @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/ooXh0dSSNc

— Dom (@D_Martinka) January 19, 2019

Former Highlands three-sport standout Dom Martinka tweeted the clip to House of Highlights and several other basketball social media accounts after Friday’s game, and House of Highlights picked it up.

As of Sunday night, the clip had more than 750,000 views.

“The play itself caught me off guard, to be honest,” Crise said. “It was the end of the game. I was in the corner catching my breath, and I saw Luke make a move and the kid fell, so I thought why not make the highlight even better and do what I’m known for? And I never thought that the play would blow up, how I could be someone that some kid’s looking up to. And it had a huge impact on how I look at myself on and off the court.”

Highlands has made dunking a part of its game this season, particularly with the high-flying Crise, who has a pair of Division I offers. The clip also showcased Cochran’s improved dribble work, honed after a summer of work with Mason Elite Hoops and The Scoring Factory.

“It was pretty cool,” Cochran said. “It’s an experience not too many people get to have in their high school career. It’s a lot of people’s fantasy, I guess you could say, because people on social media every day are watching highlights of people. Just to see one of your plays on an account like that is pretty cool and life-changing.”

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Highlands