Scott Raper gets all dressed up for Centennial's championship celebration
To celebrate their repeat as Class 3A boys basketball champions, the Centennial players didn’t want to simply repeat the embarrassment of coach Scott Raper that they enjoyed last year.
They wanted to surpass it.
So rather than shaving their coach’s head, like they did to celebrate last year’s state title, they made him wear a dress — while they shaved his head.
“This is what the kids asked for,” said Raper, who has been Centennial’s head coach since the school opened in 2007. “They did what we asked for, so I wanted to do this for them.”
The Bison were highly ranked all season, but lost during the regional playoffs, which sparked their title run. Raper said it was important for the team to forget about what it accomplished last season and focus on the task ahead.
“We wore our championship rings for about the first four games of the season,” Raper said. “And then I said, ‘That’s it. I don’t want to see another ring. Last year is over with.’”
If the Bison pull off the three-peat next season, what will Raper have to do then?
“I refuse to answer on the grounds that it might incriminate me,” Raper said with a grin, adding that he would donate $250 to the school’s food bank if the team wins a third title.
NOTE: Video of the event will be posted the blog soon as well.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Follow
