A handful of students could walk away from the Charlotte Hornets' preseason game later this month with a memory that lasts well beyond the final whistle.
But for that chance, they'll have to shoot their best shot first.
On Tuesday, the Hornets launched a half-court shot promotion that will take place during halftime of the organization's preseason contest against the Boston Celtics on Sept. 28. Three students, selected at random, will receive a chance to knock down a shot from way downtown with a year's worth of tuition ($10,000 in in-state fees) payments at stake.
“Throughout the process of planning our training camp and preseason game in Chapel Hill, we wanted to find some unique ways to engage with the students,” Hornets Chief Operating Officer Pete Guelli said. “The half-court contest for college tuition will be another exciting part of the experience. I hope the students start getting some shots up."
Kemba Walker (15) suits up for the Charlotte Hornets against Kyrie Irving (11) and the Boston Celtics on Sept. 28 in a preseason game at the Smith Center. Photo courtesy of the Charlotte Hornets.
The announcement comes as another way to cater the game to the students and make it more accessible to them. In July, the organization cut costs on student tickets to the contest in the Smith Center by 40 percent to make sure those closest to the action have a chance to attend.
Last winter, the Hornets identified Chapel Hill as a potential destination for camp, with the facilities, basketball history and room to accommodate a professional sports team.
"It can be cathartic for your entire organization," Guelli said in an interview with The Daily Tar Heel in July. "When you're preparing for a season as grueling as an NBA season, to go to a place like Chapel Hill, with all the history, just creates a lot of energy and excitement for your players."
Any full-time undergraduate student — not just one who attends UNC — who is more than 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and buys tickets before Sept. 22 to the preseason contest in the Smith Center is automatically eligible to participate. Ticket buyers will be ineligible, though, if they have played college or high school basketball in the past six years, or have ever participated in semi-pro, Olympic or professional basketball.
