TOLEDO, Ohio — For over 38 years, Anthony Miracola has never stopped shooting a basketball, even though he has never played for a major college or in the NBA.
But when you hold seven Guinness World Records and can win $100,000, who would stop?
Miracola, a resident of Temperance, Michigan, won $100,000 at the 3-point Open, hosted by Spooky Nooks Sports Complex in Manheim, Pennsylvania.
The former member of the semi-pro Toledo Royal Knights, Miracola used his sweet shooting stroke, and plenty of practice, to his advantage.
"I've been shooting a lot anyways," Miracola said. "This is just what I do; just shoot a lot and practice, and I just transitioned to working on this specific thing, and the rest is history."
An owner of seven Guinness World Records, Miracola holds the records for activities such as most free throws in a minute (67), 3-pointers in a minute (31), and in three minutes (93).
The format for the tournament was similar to the NBA’s annual all-star three-point contest: 25 shots, five balls in five racks, with each rack containing four regular balls worth one point, and one “money ball” worth two points.
Miracola beat Mike McGuire of Garden City, N.Y. in the head-to-head final shootout, 31 points to 22. Beforehand, he almost was defeated in the round of 16 by Ryan Daly, a former guard for St. Joseph’s University and NBA G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers.
Daly tied Miracola at 26, then at 25 in the first shoot-off, before Miracola won a second extra round, 29-25. Despite the close contest, Miracola knew he could trust his instincts.
"I definitely knew that I was capable and had a really good chance," Miracola said. "My theory behind it was that I don't believe anyone has shot as much as I have, so I should have as good of a chance as anyone."
With an extra $100,000 in his pocket, Miracola says that the journey is not stopping here.
"Right now I am just soaking it all in," Miracola said. "My wife and I both said that it is going to take a while for it to really soak in. For now, I am just going to keep shooting, and I am not sure what comes next, but hopefully, some opportunities stem from this."