KU student wins $19K after hitting half-court shot on ESPN. Here’s how he’ll spend it
Connor Loney stared down at the oversized $19,000 check while standing in an Allen Fieldhouse concourse, still unable to completely comprehend what had just happened a few minutes earlier.
“This is, like, the best day of my life,” Loney said after hitting a half-court shot during ESPN’s “College GameDay” show on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse, winning $19,000 from State Farm.
Loney, a Kansas freshman from Bixby, Oklahoma, was picked for the contest after placing himself toward the front of the line for entrance into the event early Saturday morning.
How he got there — and then made the shot at Allen Fieldhouse — is not likely a path he’d suggest for KU’s basketball players who are taking on Kentucky later Saturday.
Loney said he and a buddy spent most of Friday night “partying a little bit,” but they still wanted to do everything they could to get front row Saturday for the show that broadcasts nationally on ESPN.
So they made their way to the fieldhouse. At 4 a.m.
“No sleep,” Loney said. “None.”
Loney was accompanied by some superpowers, though, eating a McDonald’s Big Breakfast — including sausage, egg, biscuit and hash brown — before getting his close-up just before 11 a.m.
State Farm sponsors the contest, with the $19,000 in prize money representing the 19,000 agents the company has in North America. Loney had 19 seconds to make a half-court shot to take home the bounty.
He didn’t start so hot, tossing his first one to the left, off the very edge of the backboard.
“I was like, ‘Wow, this is really bad, and there’s a lot of people here,’” Loney said. “’I better figure this out.’”
The second shot grazed off the front rim before the third shot went through.
ESPN’s Rece Davis saw it early, saying, “That might be in” as the ball was about halfway to the rim. Loney’s KU friends tackled him in celebration, and later, ESPN’s LaPhonso Ellis also congratulated Loney for his feat.
“I’ve always loved Kansas basketball,” Loney said. “Just getting to come on the court and make a shot ... there’s nothing like that.”
As for the money, Loney said he’ll use almost all of it to help pay for his out-of-state tuition.
“But, you know,” he said with a smile, “we might have to get a little more partying in too.”
Loney’s accomplishment came just after KU’s David McCormack showed him the way; McCormack drained a half-court shot of his own on the show, swishing it after unsuccessful attempts from teammates Ochai Agbaji and Mitch Lightfoot.
For Loney, this was just the start of what he envisioned would be a memorable weekend.
“It’s going to be awesome. Kansas is about to go beat Kentucky. I never saw a Wildcat that I liked; don’t think I’ll start today,” Loney said. “And we’re going to the Super Bowl tomorrow. So there it is.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2022 at 12:35 PM with the headline "KU student wins $19K after hitting half-court shot on ESPN. Here’s how he’ll spend it."
