Ohio Bobcats junior forward Ben Vander Plas found himself in rare company during Monday night's second round game of the NCAA tournament against Creighton when his shoe blew out on the court.
Vander Plas came out of the game briefly as the equipment manager found a spare right shoe for him to play with. The spare shoe was grey, which did not match the team's black shoes, but in an emergency, you go with whatever is available.
It happened in the second half with Creighton holding a comfortable 52-33 lead. Vander Plas was sliding his feet to position himself on defense when his right foot blew through the sole of the shoe, forcing him to pause in the middle of the play as he recovered his balance and looked around to figure out what just happened.
Vander Plas was very fortunate that he was not injured on the play, as Zion Williamson was when his shoe blew out during a Duke game two years ago.
Vander Plas did not miss much game action due to the shoe incident, as he finished with 9 points and 10 rebounds in 38 minutes of playing time. However, Ohio's NCAA tournament run came to an end as Creighton won the game 72-58 to advance to the Sweet 16.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
