May 24, 2012

Assistant Coach Bracket

Boston University men's basketball assistant coach Carmen Maciariello hit 47 straight free throws to win the second annual "Shots from the Heart" tournament, a competition that involves CollegeInsider.com, the Skip Prosser Foundation and the American Heart Association with the goal of bringing attention to heart disease.

Terriers head coach Joe Jones also participated, dropping his first-round match-up against Santa Clara's Kerry Keating.

Taking place over the course of the academic year, the competition matches 64 head coaches and 64 assistant coaches in a NCAA tournament-style bracket with competitors shooting 25 free throws that are scored as follows:

- Shots 1-10 are worth 1 point
- Shots 11-15 are worth 2 points
- Shots 16-20 are worth 3 points
- Shots 21-24 are worth 4 points
- Shot 25 is worth 5 points

Maciariello outlasted Butler assistant Darnell Archey in the finals to win the title. Both made all 25 of their "regulation" free throws, resulting in a 56-56 tie. To break the deadlock, Maciariello would go on to make 22 more free throws.

"I was honored to partake in a fundraiser for the Skip Prosser Foundation and the opportunity to create awareness for something that touches all of our lives," said Maciariello. "My father had stents put in his heart when I was playing college basketball. My grandfather also died of a heart attack when I was seven years old. I was grateful to be contacted to participate in this event by Angela Lento (tournament organizer), and CollegeInsider.com does a great job running it.

"I was fortunate to make some free throws," he added. "I blew out my knee right out of college, so the only thing I could do was shoot free throws before going overseas. That practice time helped me boost my percentage."

The project is designed to help raise awareness for the growing problem of heart disease and benefits the American Heart Association. The event pays tribute to the late Skip Prosser who passed away of a heart attack in 2007. Prosser spent 21 years as collegiate head coach at Loyola (Md.), Xavier and Wake Forest. He made 18 postseason appearances and is the only coach in NCAA history to take three separate schools to the NCAA Tournament in his first year coaching the teams.

To find out more about this program and for ways to help in the battle against heart disease, log onto www.collegeinsider.com/shots or contact your local chapter of the American Heart Association. You can also log onto www.heart.org for more information on the American Heart Association.

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