One of the most common mini games is the make-a-half-court-shot-and-win-some-money. Sometimes, the participants make the shot. Sometimes, they don't.

But for one student though, he went big and went home with RM44,000 in his pocket!

Miraculous heave

The student, one Joe Thompson, became an internet sensation overnight when a video of him nailing a full-court basketball shot went viral on social media.

According to USA Today, the miraculous shot happened during a basketball match between Montana and Montana State two weeks ago.

At halftime, the school had Thompson, reportedly a senior at the Montana State University, attempt a series of full-court shots from the opposite baseline.

His first attempt went way off -- not surprising, considering that even some of best basketball players in the world find it difficult to make a full-court shot.

He launched the ball for the second time, and this happened:

Despite throwing the basketball with one hand, Thompson hit the full-court shot with four seconds left to spare, and the 6,570 in attendance erupted into cheers.

After making the shot, Thompson ran around the court with his arms outspread before approaching a camera and gestured the numbers '2' and '4' with his fingers, a tribute to the late NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, who perished in a helicopter crash in January.

For his effort, Thompson gets to bring home a cool USD11,111 (RM46,690) from Montana’s Rib and Chop House, the promotion’s sponsor.

Just to illustrate how incredible the shot is, the entire length of a college basketball court is 28.6 meters.

So yeah, you have to be incredibly strong to heave the ball from one end to the other, and have the accuracy to boot.