A student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst suffered a crushing disappointment after losing a $10,000 prize over a sports technicality Wednesday night.
But there may be a glimmer of hope for him.
Noah Lee had by all appearances won the cash prize at a half-time event during the women’s basketball game at UMass, according to the Massachusetts Daily Collegian.
The challenge — hosted by the company Odds On Promotions — was no easy feat.
To win, the contestant needed to shoot a layup, a free throw, a three-pointer, and a half-court shot all within 30 seconds.
That’s exactly what Lee did.
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some readers may find offensive.
MY FRIEND JUST DID THIS FOR $10k AT THE @UMassWBB GAME!!!#SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/czpu4jSNXf
— Josh Schreiber (@Jschreiber272) February 6, 2025
The crowd roared as Lee sank the final shot.
“[The] half-court shot, [I] put it up and realized mid-air, like ‘Wow, that has a chance,’” Lee said. “When it went in, it was pretty surreal … It was a ton of fun in the moment.”
After his performance, Lee signed some forms and a UMass athletics representative said the promotion company would review the footage.
But by the end of the game, Lee still hadn’t heard back and wouldn’t until the next day.
“[On Thursday], I got an email from the UMass athletics representative saying that the promotion company got back to them and said my foot was on the line and they will not be paying it out, which is obviously a little disappointing,” Lee said.
🚨🚨UPDATE: Noah was just notified by INSURANCE he is NOT getting the money😡😡😡
They say his foot was on the line DESPITE not being told BEFOREHAND that it had to be BEHIND the line
OddsOn Promotions is the company
This is what UMass offered instead:@espn @zoomasschicks https://t.co/ggyW1OnDcX pic.twitter.com/v7bBAUxxZZ
— Josh Schreiber (@Jschreiber272) February 6, 2025
To soften the blow, UMass offered Lee some alternative but comparatively lesser prizes: courtside tickets to home games, a gift basket of school-branded gear, and $100 in gift cards to use at the Mullins Center — UMass’s basketball stadium.
UMass also offered Lee another chance to try an on-court shooting challenge but only for $1,000.
The Massachusetts Collective, a sports donor, even offered Lee another $10,000 to make just the half-court shot again.
👀 Noah – we weren’t involved in yesterday’s contest, but we saw you were 🔥
How about WE give you another shot at $10K? One half-court shot, $10K cash. Simple…just stay behind the line!
Let’s run it back halftime at @UMassMBB vs. Davidson on 2/12. Sponsored by @5CollegeMovers… https://t.co/Mi2IB9bU7x pic.twitter.com/bWHmG0jiwP
— The Massachusetts Collective (@TheMassCo) February 6, 2025
Lee, who described himself as an introvert, said he was apprehensive when a promoter asked him at random that night to participate.
“Thankfully, I’ve played a lot of basketball in my life, so I was pretty well-prepared for the moment,” Lee said. “I’ve been playing basketball from a pretty young age, really enjoy the sport and I guess it all [combined] there at that moment.”
There may be hope for Lee yet, however.
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian posted an update to its story following the public backlash over the incident.
“UPDATE: UMass Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford pledged to get the $10,000 prize into the hands of Lee on Friday, whether the insurance company contributes or not. Bamford announced on X that the athletic department will pay Lee directly if a resolution is not reached with the host of the promotion,” the outlet said.
“UMass men’s basketball head coach Frank Martin helped reach a happy ending to the saga by reaching out on X and bringing the situation to the attention of the school,” the update added.
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