College basketball fan who hit $10,000 half-court shot reportedly denied prize on technicality

College students don’t normally have all the money in the world.

So, when one of them nails a half-court shot for a $10,000 prize, like what happened at a University of Massachusetts women’s basketball game on Wednesday night, there is a huge celebration and a huge relief that the money is coming the person’s way.

But what about when the shot is made, the celebration happens, there is the expectation of the big cash prize and then that big cash prize is denied to the college student?

Well, that’s exactly what happened to a UMass student named Noah. Noah was notified by insurance that he would not be getting the money, after all. Apparently, Noah’s foot was on the line during his miraculous shot. But apparently, he was not told before making the shot that his feet had to be behind the line.

Now, Noah was offered a consolation package by UMass in the aftermath of his disappointment, which included a pair of court-side seats to a future UMass women’s basketball game, a “swag bag” of UMass gear and $100 in gift cards to Mullins Center concessions.

All of that is great and all, but it’s not $10,000, and so Noah will have to settle for what the school offered instead apparently. Here are the details of the situation from UMass play-by-play announcer Josh Schreiber, who is friends with Noah:

Cory Nightingale

Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.