Mike Drysch's 15 minutes of fame don't appear to be ending any time soon.
The 50-year-old McHenry resident, who won $75,000 by hitting a half-court hook shot Friday night in Miami before being tackled by Heat star LeBron James, is in the midst of a whirlwind media tour that will continue today.
Drysch said Monday from New York he is scheduled to appear on ABC's "The View" and CNN today after being interviewed on ABC's "Good Morning America" and "Inside Edition" on Monday as well as being featured on TMZ.
The computer technician also was the subject of a variety of radio and Skype interviews Monday and said his travels may take him to Los Angeles to possibly appear on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and "The Ellen Show."
"It's been quite hectic," Drysch said in a telephone interview Monday night. "All of my friends keep texting – you never expect it, and in the blink of an eye it all changes ... it's just weird."
The video posted on Youtube by the NBA of Drysch's shot and subsequent celebration with James had been viewed more than 5 million times as of Monday night. Miami Heat owner Micky Arison tweeted a photo of Drysch inside The Mansion, a South Beach nightclub, early Saturday morning with the tweet, "What does one do after winning $75K & wrestling with @KingJames? Party like a rock star with @DJIRIE.
On Saturday night, Drysch changed his Twitter handle to @HalfCourtMikeD in relation to his latest sweepstakes feat. Drysch was selected to take the shot in Miami from 30,000 entries for a contest that benefits The Boys and Girls Club of America and the LeBron James Family Foundation.
ESPN.com reported that Drysch will pay $22,000 in taxes after being awarded the $75,000 prize. Regardless, Drysch – who plans to use sick time and vacation to accommodate all of his media appearances – said he's loving every minute of the attention.
"Life will never the same again, obviously," Drysch said. "I'm walking down the street in Miami and everyone knows who I am, and girls that I wouldn't get a second look from normally are waving and giving me high-fives.
"I'm thoroughly enjoying it – I think it's the greatest thing in the world, and I'm glad it happened. It's a priceless moment – it came at 50, but it's great and I look forward to every day now."
