Basketball, physics and probability

Tonight, a few of us here on campus decided to get together for a little game. I went down from the weight room to the basketball court and took a couple of balls with me, knowing that others were going to join me shortly. Now, I should mention that our gym has two hoops at the two ends (which usually remain in the normal playing position) and four more, which are usually raised up at about a 45 degree angle and somewhere in the region of 17-20 feet off the floor.

As I was waiting for people to come, I figured I'd take a couple of shots at the raised hoops. My second shot bounced off the rim, then off the backboard and then settled firmly and nonchalantly at the place where the rim joins the backboard. Of course, I did not panic. After all, I had brought two balls down. So I grabbed the second ball and shot it - I missed the other ball completely. Not one to give up easily, I shot again. The ball bounced off the front off the rim, off the top of the first ball, and very neatly came to rest to form a stack of two balls stuck 17 feet in the air.

Never mind the fact that I completely lost it and basically rolled on the floor laughing, nor that a couple of people wanted to leave the assembly up there until we could find a camera, but I think I can try for the remainder of my time at school and not do that again...