Blake Hoffarber

Blake Hoffarber (born April 27, 1988) is a sophomore shooting guard on the University of Minnesota men's basketball team. The 6'4", 200 lbs fact Hoffarber is a Minnetonka, Minnesota native who gained fame by way of numerous highlight reel shots during the course of his basketball career. The first occurred during the 2005 Minnesota State High School Basketball Tournament against Eastview High School, for which he won an ESPY. The second, a game-winning buzzer beater in the 2008 Big Ten Tournament against Indiana University, for which he was again nominated for an ESPY for Best Play of the Year.

High school

Blake was a three-time all conference selection in high school where he played for Hopkins High School. In April 2007, Hoffarber was awarded the title of Mr. Basketball for the state of Minnesota, an annual award given to the state's top senior for his play over the course of his high school career. [ [http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38664&SPID=3302&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=1179937&Q_SEASON=2007 Blake Hoffarber bio - Gophersports.com—Official Web Site of University of Minnesota Athletics ] ]

Hoffarber is best known for a highlight reel shot during the championship game of the 2005 Minnesota State High School Basketball Tournament. With his Hopkins High School Royals trailing by two in the waning seconds of the state championship game, Hoffarber had a loose ball fall into his hands after he was knocked to the ground. While sitting on the floor of the Target Center, Hoffarber launched an 18 foot shot that went in, sending the game to a second overtime where the Royals eventually prevailed. Hoffarber won an ESPY award for the shot, beating out Tiger Woods' birdie chip at The Masters Tournament for the Top Play of the Year. [ [http://espn.go.com/espy2005/s/05nomineesindex.html The 2005 ESPY Awards - The 2005 ESPY Awards nominees ] ] He was also featured on the Today Show in New York City with Matt Lauer, where he repeated the same shot from his seat again, in which the Today Show donated $10,000 to a charity in Florida in his name."

Hoffarber helped the Royals to another state championship during his junior year in 2006 when they beat the Robbinsdale Cooper Hawks in the championship game. Hoffarber's high school career came to an abrupt end during his senior year when the Royals were upset in the section semifinals by cross-town rival Minnetonka. Hoffarber's high school coach was his uncle, Ken Novak, Jr.

College

Hoffarber announced in October 2006 that he would be attending the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota on a basketball scholarship. He is currently a freshman shooting guard for the Gophers. Hoffarber leads the Big Ten Conference in 3-point percentage and is one of the top three-point shooters in the nation. [ [http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/rankings?sportCode=MBB&rpt=wkly NCAA® Weekly Rankings ] ] On March 14, 2008, in the Big Ten Tournament, Hoffarber made a game-winning jump shot as time expired against Indiana University, which attracted nationwide attention [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280740084 ESPN - Minnesota vs. Indiana - Recap - March 14, 2008 ] ] and has been compared to the famous Christian Laettner shot against Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA tournament. [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/men/viewcast/2008/03/14/index.html?contestId=49603&vendorId=200803140271&vendorVisitTeam=363&vendorHomeTeam=271&pageType=recap SI.com - News and Scores from Sports Illustrated ] ] On July 1, 2008, ESPN announced that Hoffarber's miraculous shot against Indiana was nominated for an ESPY for the Best Play of the Year, Hoffarber's second such nomination.

References

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJoxGpEswOI YouTube video of the highlight-reel shot from high school]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u51znupszPw YouTube video of the highlight-reel shot from college]