From Twitter to 'Today' and Beyond: Owen Groesser Phenomenon Continues

Almost one week after the three-pointers that made him a household name in Rochester Hills, 13-year-old Owen Groesser is still making headlines.

Owen sank two three-point shots last Wednesday night  for the eighth-grade basketball team at Van Hoosen Middle School. 

It was the first time Owen, who has Down syndrome, had taken the court this season. Almost immediately, a trending social media campaign was born, as students began tweeting "#GetOwenOnSportsCenter." The tweet picked up momentum and resulted in a video of Owen's three-pointer being a highlight on ESPN SportsCenter's Top Plays.

From there, the media frenzy spiraled. Owen appeared with his dad, Chris, on ESPN the next day. By week's end, dozens of local TV, radio and print media personalities had told his story. Among them:

• In Owen Groesser: The Inspiring Tale of a Boy With Down Syndrome, Basketball, and How Almost None of it Happened, Jared Purcell of MLive reports in detail on Owen and the "game that almost didn't happen:" it turns out, Owen's shot at play time was almost thwarted by the weather last Wednesday.   
• Today.com told Owen's story and included an interview with Owen's coach, Jeff Howell.
• On Sunday, NBC Nightly News gave a shoutout to Owen during a report on new guidelines from the U.S. Department of Education that say students with disabilities must be given a fair shot to play on a traditional sports team or have their own leagues. 

As of Tuesday, "Owen Groesser" had 113,000 hits on Google; that included almost 2,000 media reports. He also has his own Facebook page. 

Mike Antoniou captured a photo of Owen over the weekend signing autographs at his Antoniou's Townesquare Pizza in Rochester Hills. "He's awesome!" Antoniou wrote on Patch.