Joe Imel/Daily News Former Western Kentucky basketball player Ty Rogers (right) receives his ESPY Award trophy this morning from WKU President Gary Ransdell at a Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Sloan Convention Center. Rogers won the award earlier this year for his game-winning buzzer-beater against Drake in the NCAA Tournament.

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Ty Rogers got to relive history one more time this morning.

The former Western Kentucky standout became an instant celebrity this spring, thanks to his game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer against Drake in the NCAA Tournament. Rogers’ shot brought plenty of accolades, including an ESPY Award for “Best Finish” at ESPN’s annual awards show in Los Angeles.

WKU actually received the physical ESPY trophy, but WKU President Gary Ransdell presented the award to Rogers today during the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce’s September Coffee Hour at the Sloan Convention Center, which focused on WKU basketball.

It gave Rogers an opportunity to reminisce, especially when replays of the shot were shown.

“I haven’t seen it in awhile,” Rogers said. “And it gives you chills to really go back and relive how great of a moment that was for the whole university.”

Rogers has received plenty of trophies throughout his basketball career, some which are in his native Eddyville. But he expects the 11/2 foot, heavy silver ESPY to stick around his Bowling Green home.

“I have to find a perfect place for it,” Rogers said, smiling.

Since the shot, life has changed in many ways for Rogers. After finishing up his WKU career, Rogers became engaged and works as a pharmaceuticals representative.

He doesn’t hear about the shot quite as much these days, but he still receives attention for it. Rogers spent time this morning autographing prints of his historic shot.

“I think it’s returned to normal, as much as it can, I guess,” Rogers said. “I don’t know if life will ever be quite what it used to be, just as far as people coming up and talking and stuff.”

“Obviously (attention has) gone down a little bit. But people still love to talk about it. It never gets old. It’s an amazing moment and I think it’s probably going to stay with me forever.”

Rogers isn’t the only one who talks plenty about his shot. Ransdell said he’s often asked about Rogers’ shot.

“An awful lot of conversations have begun and ended with conversations about that shot,” Ransdell said. “It’s kind of cool that it has become known as ‘the shot’ in NCAA Tournament history. That’s been a lot of fun.”

It brought WKU plenty of attention and was part of one of WKU’s greatest seasons ever. The Hilltoppers eventually reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in 15 years and finished at No. 22 in the USA Today/Coaches Top 25 poll. But Ransdell doesn’t want the attention toward the Hilltoppers after last year to fade away.

Ransdell spoke about the program’s future this morning and his hopes are that WKU continues to grow as a basketball program.

“We’ve certainly gotten a lot of mileage out of (the shot),” Ransdell said. “The WKU brand was elevated in many different ways because of that one moment as the horn sounded last March. But those things happen, they can happen and they will happen in the future.

“We can have a sustained Top 25 basketball program if this community gets behind it and is there day in and day out with the kind of energy such a performance requires.”