Ahmahd Moore, a Fayetteville local and Junior at FSU, signed up for the competition three days beforehand.
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Moore, at the time, did not own an Xbox gaming console nor did he own a copy of the game 'NBA 2K20' needed to participate; but, competition leaders made sure he had both on July 5.
"I knew that I just wanted to be great for this tournament, cause I didn't know who I was going up against. So, I just, countless hours," Moore told ABC11.
After those countless hours, Moore went head to head with three opponents representing other HBCUs. On top of limited time to prepare and starting off at the sixth seed, Moore had never participated in an e-sports competition.
However, the FSU student was able to handily defeat each person, including the championship game where he beat a Langston University student 75-53 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
"I went into the tournament, and I won, haha. I'm just honored. I'm just blessed to be a part of it," Moore said.
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Moore, who enjoys playing video games as a hobby, felt compelled to represent his university to bring a little joy during such a trying year.
"I just wanted everybody to be happy, everybody to forget what's going on, and, you know, everybody just love... that's all I felt," Moore said.
On top of earning bragging rights, Moore won $500, got to keep the Xbox gaming console he was given, and a Dell laptop. Moore tells ABC 11 he wants to pay it forward by donating the money to local elementary students, so they can buy their own electronics.
Moore currently majors in Communications and minors in Pre-Law. He tells ABC11 he intends to attend law school after graduating from FSU. But, his busy future won't stop him from picking up a game controller or joining the e-gaming club at his university.