Joe Pleasant, who helped BV Northwest to 2 state titles, is hero for Abilene Christian
Joe Pleasant of Abilene Christian stood at the free-throw line facing the biggest shots of his life.
That includes his time at Blue Valley Northwest and state championship games,
Pleasant, a 59 percent free-throw shooter, buried two of them with 1.2 seconds remaining to give No. 14 seed Abilene Christian a monumental 53-52 victory over third-seeded Texas in the final game of the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Pleasant’s Blue Valley Northwest teams won two state championships for Coach Ed Fritz. This went to the next level.
And his free throws were a big part of one of them. The Huskies defeated Lawrence Free State for the 2018 Kansas 6A title with Pleasant hitting five free throws in the final quarter.
Abilene Christian was playing in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history and looking for its first victory. It came against the state’s flagship university, Texas, which was coming off a Big 12 Tournament championship.
Texas had taken a 52-51 lead with 15 seconds remaining on Andrew Jones’ three-pointer. Abilene Christian got a driving attempt from another Kansas City player, Damien Daniels, who attended Hogan Prep. The shot was blocked. Pleasant fought for the rebound and was fouled by Matt Coleman, setting up the free throw line drama.
Pleasant, a 6-8 junior forward, entered the game averaging 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. But he was hitting only 58.8 percent from the free-throw line.
But both shots dropped, sending Abilene Christian to the biggest victory in school history and ending the Big 12’s winning streak in the first round. The conference had won its first six games until the Texas loss.
Pleasant is one of three BV Northwest graduates in the NCAA Tournament, joining brothers Christian and Parker Braun, who play for Kansas and Missouri.
This story was originally published March 20, 2021 at 11:57 PM.