Everything was going in for the BYU basketball team in the second half against the Cincinnati Bearcats Saturday night, including a half-court heave from a fan during a timeout.
Lifelong BYU sports fan Ali Call had to make a layup, free throw, three-pointer and half-court shot in 45 seconds for this Qualtrics shooting challenge. In a blink of an eye, she ended up having enough time to attempt the half-court shot four times.
Call was not expecting to take part in this upon arrival. She arrived at the game plenty early with her friends excited for the game to start. Beginning as a wave to the people who run all the challenges during timeouts and halftime whom she described as “the people in the headsets,” it eventually turned into her volunteering to participate after some discussion.
“Can we help you with anything?” said one of the people running the challenge.
“Well, can I help you with anything? Do you need people to help you volunteer for the games?” Call said.
This key moment in volunteering herself allowed her to become the half-court queen. ESPN even put her shot as one of the highlights to the game.
Call’s background in playing ball makes sense as to why her shot looked very natural. She grew up playing in North Carolina which is known for producing basketball players. The events leading up to the shot and making it were just part of her desire to get some shots up again.
“I’m a big fan of basketball,” said Call. “I love playing whenever I can, and it was cool to just get a chance to play for a big prize in front of a lot of people.”
What was the big prize? A whopping $10,000, which is huge in the eyes of any college student. Call has some big plans on how she will use the money.
“I’m going to use part of it to pay for tuition and I’m going to take myself on a trip somewhere,” Call said. “I think it would be fire to go to Hawaii. I haven’t been to Europe, so it could be cool to go there … lots of options.”
BYU’s win over Cincinnati gave her hope about the outlook for the rest of the season.
“I’m hoping we can carry the momentum from this weekend through the rest of the season,” Call said. “First, make the tournament. I feel like if we make the tournament, we’ll make it to the second round … but I would love to say we take it all the way and win the national championship. I love these boys."
Call’s shot ignited the crowd amidst a big win for the Cougars and is now cemented in the Qualtrics half-court shot history books.