Contestant Sinks Mid-Court Shot, But Has To Wait Through A Day Of Uncertainty

January 22, 2013|By DENISE BUFFA, The Hartford Courant FAIRFIELD — —
After a day of indecision over whether he would receive a car for sinking a half-court shot
during halftime of Monday's Fairfield University basketball game, John Queenan of Trumbull said
he was told Tuesday night that he would be getting the car. Queenan, 41, said Chevrolet called him
late Tuesday with the news. "I'm just happy to know that companies have strong corporate values and
can make decisive decisions," Queenan said. "I think that's fantastic. I think this is a teachable moment
for us, especially for my kids, that companies can do the right thing. "Queenan's shot became involved in
controversy after questions arose about whether he stepped over the mid-court line.

Queenan, who works for a bank, maintains that he scored fairly. The crowd — which included
his wife and three sons — erupted in applause, shouts and whistles as captured on a YouTube video.
The prize for making the basket was a Chevrolet Cruze. But Queenan says he was later told by a woman
overseeing the contest that an insurance company would have to make the final call about whether he
gets the car , which has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $17,000. Shooters have to stay
behind the mid-court line. "If they're going to be that crazy about this thing, they probably shouldn't
even do the promotion. It takes the fun out of it," Queenan said earlier Tuesday. Fairfield University
representatives said that they merely provided the venue for the contest, which was an advertising
venture sold by a marketing agency on behalf of the university to Chevrolet. Fairfield lost to
Loyola University of Maryland, 65-60. "I believe someone from the marketing firm takes the video,
and when anybody makes the shot, they take it to the insurance company for the review.

I guess that's standard operating procedure for these types of events," said sports information
director Jack Jones. Several videos were taken, according to Queenan — who says that he reviewed them.
"I froze the images, and I looked at it a million times. It looks like it's fine with me," he said.
Queenan said it was difficult to see the line because it was obscured by the school's logo. Queenan,
who is 6 feet 4 and played basketball in high school, coaches his sons' basketball teams at St. Catherine
of Siena School in Trumbull. He said he was pleasantly surprised when he made the half-court shot,
which he hasn't taken in 20-25 years. He submitted his name for the contest before halftime.