DATE: Saturday, March 29, 1997              TAG: 9703290281

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM,STAFF WRITER

DATELINE: CINCINNATI                        LENGTH:   50 lines

MILLION DOLLAR SHOT MISSES MARK

Norfolk's Heather Jankovich missed her one-shot attempt to become an instant millionaire Friday night, but says she will return to her Colonial Place home enriched nonetheless.

Jankovich, a kindergarten teacher from Norfolk's Camp Allen Elementary, lofted an underhand shot as several hundred Xavier University students cheered and millions watched on the ESPN cable network.

Had she made it, she would have collected $1 million in the White Rain 3-Point Challenge, which was held across town from the women's Final Four at Xavier University's Schmidt Fieldhouse. Jankovich's shot hit high on the backboard and missed the basket by several inches.

But Jankovich, 45, will not leave Cincinnati empty-handed. She picked up a consolation prize of $50,000.

``We have a lot of bills to pay, a lot of bills,'' she said. ``This has been a godsend.

``People keep telling me I need to buy myself a car. It's broken down three times in the last year, so I'll be going to the car dealers next week to look at what's available.''

Jankovich was picked at random to attempt a 3-point shot during the NCAA women's basketball Final Four. During the week, she was wined and dined by Gillette, the contest sponsor, and has reaped more publicity than she ever could have imagined.

Jankovich and son Eric - husband Ben Goldman and children Joseph and Shannon stayed in Norfolk - are being chauffeured and treated to all their meals and a suite in the downtown Omni Hotel. Sunday, they will watch Old Dominion play for the national championship.

``I've been so focused on taking this shot that I haven't gotten out to see much of Cincinnati,'' she said. ``Now I'll have the chance to do that, and to watch ODU.''

A basketball novice - she hadn't shot a basketball until last week - Jankovich was besieged with media interviews since learning a week ago that she was picked for the contest. Her face was all over television and the newspapers in Cincinnati last week. Radio stations from Milwaukee, Little Rock, Ark., and Omaha, Neb., interviewed her Friday morning.

Thursday, she made the front page of USA Today.

``Can you imagine that, the front page of USA Today,'' she said. ``It's still hard to believe this all happened.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo < Heather Jankovich, a kindergarten

teacher from Norfolk's Camp Allen Elementary, lofted an underhand

shot as several hundred Xavier University students cheered and

millions watched on the ESPN cable network.

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