CHICAGO, April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The dust has settled over McGrath Arena at DePaul University in Chicago, home of the national finals of the Elks Hoop Shoot free throw tournament. On April 22, 72 of the nation's best young free-throw shooters dueled for national titles in boys and girls divisions in three age-groups.
After seven tie-breaking shoot-offs and a total of 1,607 made free throws, six champions were crowned:
8- to 9-year-olds
Colton Conkle of Ohio (25 out of 25) and Mickellyn Walker of North Dakota (23 out of 25)
10- to 11-year-olds
Jacobi Lafferty of Vermont (24 out of 25, 20 out of 20 in a shoot-off) and Andrea "AJ" McCandlis of Arkansas (23 out of 25)
12- to 13-year-olds
Donavan Seamster of Louisiana (25 out of 25) and Sophie Phillips of New York (24 out of 25, 5 out of 5 in a shoot-off)
All six champions will have their names inscribed in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., and will visit the Hall as guests of the Elks. More than 300,000 8- to 13-year olds started down the Road to Chicago last fall.
During the Hoop Shoot weekend, the finalists and their families toured Chicago by trolley, attended a special event at the Chicago Sports Museum, and engaged in community service, packing supply bags for homeless veterans. The Elks have pledged to help the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs eliminate veteran homelessness.
Funded by the Elks National Foundation, the Hoop Shoot has been developing gritty kids for 45 years. Notable program alumni include college coaches Chris Mullin and Steve Alford, and WNBA players Kristi Toliver and Seimone Augustus.
The Elks organization is headquartered in Chicago and will be celebrating its sesquicentennial during next year's Hoop Shoot finals, which again will be in Chicago.
The complete results from this year's Hoop Shoot are available at elks.org/hoopshoot. Next year's tournament tips off in the fall in local communities everywhere.
Contact: Christine Robinson | Communications, Elks National Foundation
2750 N. Lakeview Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614-2256
773/755-4856 | [email protected]
SOURCE Elks National Foundation
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