Victoria, not Victorious

At last Saturday's Cal men's hoops season finale versus USC, Bears boosters pulled a prank that straddles the fuzzy gray line between "Crap-Yer-Pants Hilarious" and "Inexcusably Cruel."

When USC guard Gabe Pruitt took his first trip to the free throw line early in the game, the Cal student section hollered in unison: "VIC-TOR-IA, VIC-TOR-IA," and then yelled out a telephone number. Pruitt glanced back at the crowd in horror and bewilderment before clanking his free throws.

It turns out that a couple of mischeivous little bastards from the Cal student section had been IM'ing with Pruitt all week under the identity of "Victoria," a fictional UCLA hottie, and Pruitt was eagerly anticipating a date with this nubile co-ed back in Westwood after the game. In preparation for the date, Pruitt had handed over his digits, which the Cal student section recited back to him in unison.

Pruitt, a 79% free throw shooter this season, missed both shots after the "VIC-TOR-IA" chants began, and hit only three out of 13 shots the whole game. Cal beat USC by 11 for the season sweep, in part due to the Cal fans' devious psy-ops.

Other perspectives on this prank are here and here.

Pruitt, to his credit, was reportedly a great sport about it. Good guy.

Update: Even USC fans admit this was hilarious, although they have to invoke Larry the Cable Guy to make the point.

Bigger Update: Some USC fans are furious, and some USC cheerleaders are apparently high all the time. Click here for details.

***

One other event of note during that game: In the last seconds, walk-on guard Steve Panawek, who had played just two minutes of the entire PAC-10 season, got to finish the final home game of his Cal career by stealing a USC pass and sprinting coast-to-coast for a thunderous slam dunk, an outcome so shocking and wonderful that it provoked this reaction from the starters on the bench:

Following the game, Rod Benson (number 0) was hospitalized for busting a lung.

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Comments

[Jon]

I wonder if "Victoria" chants will work during the rematch this Thursday.

[drpunk]

My hat's way off to those Cal fans. I'm now officially a Bears fan for the Pac-10 tournament.

[Tim]

If only the Cal students are as smart as they think, they would have known their priority and wouldn't lose the conference champ to UCLA.

[GoBeers]

Hey Tim- here's something to Google while you furiously scratch your head and wonder what you've done with your life- "verb tense agreement."

PEANUT BUTTER JELLY WITH A BASEBALL BAT!

[duke]

fuck kal. its the most over rated school out there. you dumb shits are just penis envy of other schools cuz you're all stanford rejects

[bfan]

that is the best picture I have seen this week. Every time I look at it, it puts a smile on my face. Hope you don't mind me putting it up on http://sportsken.com for others.

[jenny]

Now, I'm a Bruin alum and therefore no great supporter of you Berkeley folk. But if ever there should be a time for respect...my hat is off to you, dear Bears. Viva Cal!

Has this been "officially" reported on a newswire anywhere, or is it all anecdotal so far? I heard it on KROQ this morning here in Los Angeles, without a source cited. Sure brightened my morning commute.

[seamus]

Jenny, I don't think a newswire would pick something up like this. Viva blogs!

[Matt]

sports illustrated posted a link to this story (it's how i found out about it). great story to read after some work. FUCK SC.

[HowSad]

Please edit here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Pruitt

[Jacques]

USC sucks

[Jacques]

USC sucks

[John]

Anyone have the SI story link?

[Josh]

definitely not anecdotal

the guy who I sit (stand) with front-row at every Cal game was the guy who masterminded this--the anticipation of letting loose this hilarious prank was bubbling up before the game we were so giddy, even the security guards were excited

After pruitt finally made a shot well into the game, he ran by us and yelled, "Bitches!" to which I promptly replied back, "Victoria won’t like that language!" We were yelling stuff all game—“IM me Pruitt!” “Send me a picture Gabe!” etc. Fortunately, he realized he got punked and took it rather well and was cracking a smile practically the whole game.

ah, the trojan AIM infiltrating the trojans

oh, and that panawek steal-to-dunk with 6 seconds left was grrrreeeeat!!! we were yelling at braun for a good 2 minutes to put steve in

[carlos]

fuckin usc... you would think that being on the basketball team would be enough to get you laid at your own school

[Big D]

Hey duke,

Sounds like you have some kind of inferiority complex. But from your comment, I can't figure out if you're jealous of Cal or that snobby private school in Palo Alto. Either way, my guess is you've never even set foot on campus so you should probably keep your ignorant opinions to yourself.

[fiat lux]

go Dons!

heh. Someone had to say it.....

[seamus]

Josh, that's the comment of the year. Thanks for the first-person, front-row account!

[Jason]

We did this at Cornell hockey games over a year and a half ago!

[tylenol johnson]

anyone got a link to see the steal and dunk at the end?

[Josh]

Beautiful. F U C K I N Beautiful.

[hmmm]

Hockey? Do they play that on ice? NOBODY GIVES A SH*T ABOUT CORNELL HOCKEY. FOR THAT MATTER NOBODY GIVES A SH*T ABOUT HOCKEY IN GENERAL.

Nice prank by the Cal students!

[Valley Trojan]

Tasteless... but amusing.

Fight On!

[Courtney]

Go Bears!!!!

[Margy]

I CARE ABOUT HOCKEY *shocked expression* Good prank though.