Hudl
Francesca Belibi is a 15-year-old sophomore at Regis Jesuit in Aurora, Colorado, and on Friday she became the first girl to dunk in a Colorado high school basketball game.
While the 6-foot-1 Belibi made Colorado history with the dunk, the most amazing part is just how easy she made it look. Belibi stole the ball at mid-court, dribbled straight to the basket and threw down a one-handed slam, even snapping the rim.
Here is the video, via Hudl:
"I didn't expect it to be honest with you," Belibi told the Aurora Sentinel after the game. "I don't know, I just did it. I didn't realize it went in until I heard the crowd and heard the snap (of the rim). Then I definitely heard my teammates. I think the crowd definitely understands the importance behind it - the first girl to dunk - but it was completely unexpected."
Regis Jesuit went on to win the game 78-23.
Regis Jesuit is no stranger to talented female athletes. According to the Denver Post, 32 of their players have gone on to play college basketball in the past 12 seasons. In addition, the school also produced Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin.
The dunk by Belibi is also not a surprise. A year ago, as a freshman, the Post was already speculating that she would eventually become the first to dunk as she was already dunking Nerf balls in practice. Raiders coach Carl Mattei noted at the time that she was the first player he ever had that could grab the rim and snap it back.