(RNN) - Helen of Troy had the face that launched a thousand ships. University of Alabama freshman Jack Blankenship has The Face that launched a thousand "bricks."
Blankenship became the latest internet sensation after ESPN 2 captured him holding up a giant photo of his own face during the Feb. 4 Ole Miss-Alabama basketball game.
And it's not just any face. Blankenship's distorted, contorted and aghast expression could stop a clock.
He waves the humongous photo of his own face at opponents as they take their free throws.
Blankenship's novel distraction tool is a variation on a recent tactic college students across the U.S. have been deploying at basketball games. Students have been bringing giant headshots of famous people, from Kermit the Frog to Michael Jackson to Betty White.
Blankenship - whose Twitter bio says "Publicly embarrassing myself since 1992" - took the giant head idea to a whole new level. The video of him on YouTube is titled, "Distraction Done Right."
"I thought it'd be cool to find a way to get a picture of myself and bring it to the games and hold it up," Blankenship told ESPN.
"The Face" launched Blankenship into the mainstream media. He appeared on the Today show and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, as well as on sports blogs and podcasts.
Blankenship even took the giant face to the Knicks game while in New York, sporting the jersey of another recent media sensation – Jeremy Lin.
Not one to miss an opportunity, the University of Alabama marketing department had smaller photographs of The Face made up for students to hold up behind Blankenship at the Feb. 18 game against Tennessee.
Apparently, it is having an effect on opposing teams' free throw percentage. Blankenship said on the podcast TBTL that when Alabama played Old Miss, the Rebels made 60 percent of their free throws in the first half, but only made 55 percent in the second half when they had to look at The Face.
When ‘Bama played Florida, the Gators made 100 percent of their free throws in the first half, but only made 67 percent from the free throw line with The Face giving them "The Eyes."
"I am the 33 percent," Blankenship said.
Blankenship also said he named it Charles after his favorite Crimson Tide player, Charles Hankerson.
As with all true silliness, the origin of The Face began with Blankenship and his friend, Austin Jackson, as kids making faces at one another, trying to crack each other up.
It's only a matter of time before it becomes an internet meme like "Planking" or "Owling," so here are the five steps Blankenship told Fallon on how making "The Face:"
- Flare your nostrils
- Frown
- Raise your eyebrows
- Make your eyes big
- Inhale to exaggerate the previous four steps
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