Mercer dance team member becomes internet sensation

Jenny Mazurkiewicz was just being silly, as she described it, at Mercer’s basketball tipoff event earlier this week, but the Mercer dance team member had no idea she was about to become an instant internet sensation.

That’s exactly what happened after she tried to dunk a basketball on one of the youth goals at the event, and things went wrong as the goal, which wasn’t anchored, tipped over on top of her. Mercer basketball player Sydni Means tweeted out the clip, and the internet quickly caught on as the clip went viral.

As of Saturday afternoon, the clip had more than 1.2 million views on the House of Highlights Instagram account.

“It’s been something else,” Mazurkiewicz said Saturday before Mercer’s football game. “I never imagined that something so silly that I did could blow up the way it has. I’ve seen myself on ESPN. I’ve had people contacting me that I haven’t seen in years, and they’re like, ‘Was that really you in the video?’ So it’s been funny.”

Mazurkiewicz is a sophomore who went to Greater Atlanta Christian. Means, a junior on the Bears’ basketball team, also went to GAC.

“Sydni and I went to high school together, so we’ve always kind of had this ongoing joke that I taught her everything she knows about basketball, which obviously isn’t true,” Mazurkiewicz said. “But Syd and I have had a lot of fun with it.”

Mazurkiewicz’s dad had fun with it, too. Her mom? Not so much.

“My dad’s reaction was that I should have made the shot,” Mazurkiewicz said. “And my mom’s reaction was that I needed to go see the doctor because she was really concerned that I was not OK. But I’m fine. I’ve had teachers, coaches, friends’ parents, old friends, everybody contact me.”

Mazurkiewicz said Snoop Dogg posted the clip on his Instagram account, and it has been tweeted to Jimmy Fallon, as well, to try to get it on his show.

This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Mercer dance team member becomes internet sensation."