BELLVILLE — Bobby Thorne had no idea how big of a social media sensation he had become.
His responsibilities as manager of Clear Fork’s boys basketball team have kept him busy.
Thorne, a senior at Clear Fork and the team’s ball boy and equipment manager for the past eight years, got to take a more active role in the Colts’ 78-55 loss to Lexington on Feb. 13. He started the game, then came back late in the fourth quarter when the outcome was no longer in doubt.
“It was amazing,” Thorne said after Clear Fork’s tournament loss to Norwalk earlier this month. “I felt like I was part of the team.”
After misfiring on a handful of shot attempts, Thorne scored the game’s final bucket with 17 seconds remaining. After the final horn sounded, the Clear Fork student section stormed the floor and surrounded him.
“My teammates told me to shoot the ball every time I got it,” Thorne said. “I threw a lot of bricks.”
Clear Fork coach Steven Bechtel wanted to give Thorne, a special needs student and longtime friend of the program, the opportunity to, “live out his dream.” Bechtel called Lexington coach Scott Hamilton during the week leading up to the game to make the arrangements.
“I called Scott earlier that week and told him what we wanted to do,” Bechtel said. “It was kind of a fluid situation because you don’t know how the game is going to play out, but I thought they handled everything really well.”
Bechtel drew his inspiration from former Clear Fork coach Brian Kiper. An almost identical scene unfolded at Les Hauenstein Gym in late February of 2007 when Kiper put former manager and special needs student Abe Sites into the final regular season home game against St. Peter’s. Clear Fork trailed 54-51 when Kiper sent Sites onto the floor with 11.7 seconds remaining and drew up a play for him. Sites’ potential game-tying 3-pointer hit off the backboard and St. Peter’s won 56-51.
“Brian not only put Abe in, he let him take the (potential) game-tying shot,” Bechtel said. “I always remembered that.”
Not long after Thorne scored, a video started circulating on social media. It included the hashtag #GetBobbyOnSportsCenter.
“Hopefully, they will put me on SportsCenter,” Thorne said. “That would be amazing.”
Thorne, who studies horticulture at the Knox County Career Center, hasn’t objected to all his new-found fame.
“As much as he enjoyed playing in the game and scoring, I think he has enjoyed his run on social media even more,” Bechtel said. “We were fortunate to have him for the last eight years. I’m glad we were able to do something for him.”
If Thorne has his way, he will be involved with the program even after he graduates.
“I love Clear Fork basketball,” he said. “I want to stay involved any way I can.”
