Cory Cotton - Go Big: Make Your Shot Count in the Connected World

Praise for Go Big

These guys dont just think bigthey live and minister big! I love their passion, creativity, and enthusiasm. But most of all, I love that they are using their platform for a cause bigger than themselves.

Craig Groeschel Author of WEIRD: Because Normal Isnt Working

God built us not so we can achieve mediocrity, but so we can achieve extraordinary outcomes. Go Big gives a simple yet powerful path to achieve the extraordinary.

Steven K. Scott Author of The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomons Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness

Having a Go Big mind-set isnt an option. Its the only option. Go Big every day!

Tammy Kling Coauthor of The Compass , Founder of Write it Out

Whether your dream is to start a business or star in the NBA, a Go Big mind-set is key.

Tyreke Evans 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year, Sacramento Kings

Visit Tyndale online at www.tyndale.com.

TYNDALE and Tyndales quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Go Big: Make Your Shot Count in the Connected World

Copyright 2011 by Cory Cotton. All rights reserved.

Cover photographs of men by Stephen Vosloo copyright by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph of grass copyright by Olaf Bender/iStockphoto. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph of grass copyright by Mark Gabrenya/iStockphoto. All rights reserved.

Back cover photograph taken by Jeffrey Toney and used with permission.

Interior Meet the Dudes and part opener photographs by Stephen Vosloo copyright by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

All other interior photographs are from Dude Perfect videos or the personal collection of the author and used with permission.

Designed by Dean H. Renninger

Edited by Jonathan Schindler

Published in association with the literary agency of Roger Gibson, 2085 Lakeshore Drive, Branson, MO 65616.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cotton, Cory.

Go Big : make your shot count in the connected world / by Cory Cotton.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-4143-6137-6 (hc)

1. Basketball. 2. Video games and children. 3. YouTube (Electronic resource) 4. Basketball playersConduct of life. I. Title.

GV885.C626 2011

796.323dc23 2011020887

Build: 2021-04-21 14:33:52 EPUB 3.0

To that moment in your life when you finally decide to do that thing you know you should be doing.

That moment is now.

* * *

Cory 100% Cotton

Go Big Moment: Dude Perfect winning the Texas A&M dodgeball championship

Go Big Dream: Dunk from the free-throw line. Or from the ground.

My Best Kept Secret: Im bad at telling time on analog clocks. I was homeschooled for two years. Mom dropped the ball.

Favorite Shot: Ramp Shot. Sketchy, but awesome.

DudePerfect.com/GoBigVideo1

Garrett Hilbert

Go Big Moment: Walking the red carpet and meeting Dr. J

Go Big Dream: Doing trick shots with Rob Dyrdek at his Fantasy Factory

My Best Kept Secret: I became my high school teams shooting guard after being banned from shooting three-pointers the year before.

Favorite Shot: Fishing Pole Shot

DudePerfect.com/GoBigVideo2

Coby Cotton

Go Big Moment: Interview on stage in front of 14,000 at Catalyst conference

Go Big Dream: I would very much like to win Ninja Warrior.

My Best Kept Secret: Pretty huge fan of the old TV show Supermarket Sweep.... Classic doesnt say enough.

Favorite Shot: Field Goal Shot

DudePerfect.com/GoBigVideo10

Cody Jones

Go Big Moment: Launching our very own iPhone game

Go Big Dream: Have children that beat the other DP guys kids at sports

My Best Kept Secret: I accidentally shot an undercover cop with a water gun.

Favorite Shot: Garretts missed layup at the end of my Through the Plane Shot

DudePerfect.com/GoBigVideo15

Tyler Nathan Toney (TNT)

Go Big Moment: Shooting 3 raccoons with one bow-and-arrow shot

Go Big Dream: Set longest dunk record by getting shot out of a cannon

My Best Kept Secret: I have a secret, musically inclined alter ego on YouTube. Search RappaT.

Favorite Shot: Airplane Shotsecond try

DudePerfect.com/GoBigVideo17

Panda

Go Big Moment: Hang gliding over an active volcano in 08

Go Big Dream: To meet YouTubes famous sneezing panda

My Best Kept Secret: Currently dating Hayden Pandattiere

Favorite Shot: My sick dunk in Sacramento

DudePerfect.com/GoBigVideo22

Introduction

Making Your Shot Count

The door slowly opened, and as the bright light poured over us, a booming loudspeaker filled the Los Angeles air:

Please join me in welcoming to the ESPYs the Internet sensation, the premier trick basketball shooting entertainers, Dude Perfect!

As applause took over, it would have been natural to survey the crowd. But at that moment, all I could do was watch my brown Texas boots take their first ever steps on a long red carpet.

It would have been impossible to guess almost two years before, when my five college roommates and I started shooting and filming crazy basketball shots in our backyard, that this was what wed have to look forward to. We were just ordinary guys with a passion for competition and a basketball hoop. We still went to classes, still hung out with our friends, and still faced the same difficulties that every other college student faces. But after we launched a YouTube video of some of our favorite shots, we were thrilled to see it rapidly gain momentumso much momentum, in fact, that it wound up on Good Morning America only two days later. At that point, we realized wed stumbled into a niche in the YouTube world.

Now, two years and more than forty-five million views later, so much has happened that it would take two books this size to explain it all. But as I look back on our journey so far, I realize that from day one, our motto has remained the same: go big. This phraseour overall mind-sethas been the filter through which weve run all our decisions, and it has truly shaped us into who we are.