Video: High school coach ends career by drilling buzzer-beating 3-pointer

Mar 7, 2011, 3:44 PM EDT

If there was ever a high school coaching instance that could come close to rivaling the moment when Gene Hackman and his underdogs won the Indiana state championship, this is it. Kind of.

Nearing the closing seconds of a blowout playoff loss in what would be the final game of his 13 years as coach of the Augusta High School varsity basketball team, Robin Kelsch went out in style, receiving a pass on the sideline and showing off the ice in his veins by drilling a long-range bomb as the clock ticked zero. He then turned to his bench and coldly drawled, “Imagine how bad we’d have beat them if we had five of me on the court.” (That quote I made up).

The ploy was apparently planned by the coach of the opposing team to either honor Kelsch’s run as head coach or shame him, as most people in that situation would throw up a horrendous air ball that would throw the crowd into raucous laughter. Lucky for Kelsch, he rules.

During the final seconds, an Eagles player missed a free throw and the Panthers quickly moved the ball down the court. Kelsch suddenly received a pass while standing by his bench and knocked down an unofficial 3-pointer at the buzzer.

According to Dave Malaska of KyPost.com, the farewell was planned by Scott coach Brad Carr.

“The fact that it went in, I had a tear in my eye,” Carr said after the game. “It was a fitting way for Robin to end things.”