My Name is in the Hall of Fame

What basketball player doesn’t dream of being in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame? Having your name enshrined among the greatest basketball players of all time, is the ultimate accomplishment! Most athletes don’t achieve such prestige until they have completed a successful professional basketball career. For the Frank Hise National Champions, this accomplishment comes much earlier in life!

Since the Hoop Shoot National Finals in April, the Elks National Foundation has sent all six National Champions to visit the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. While at the Hall of Fame they were able to see their names enshrined on the Elks Hoop Shoot plaque, under the same roof in the Hall of Fame among Hall of Famers, and legends, such as Michael Jordan or Lisa Leslie.

The six National Champions toured the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. The memorial features more than 300 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history where the Elks Hoop Shoot National Champions now have a permanent place. The museum has hundreds of interactive exhibits, skill challenges, live clinics, and shooting contests.

National Champion Mitchel Leas’ mother, Amy, reflects on the trip,

“ We have made so many amazing memories from this entire experience, from Chicago to Springfield. The Elks is truly an outstanding organization, our family cannot say enough about all the Elks have done!”

2016 Getty Powell winners, Reagan Ponzer and Camden Cowgill visited the Hall of Fame for the 2016 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony, you can read more about their trip here.

Congratulations to the 2016 Frank Hise Champions!

The Elks have been developing gritty kids through the Hoop Shoot program for more than 40 years. In 2015-16, the Elks National Foundation allocated $924,070 to fund the program. For videos, news from the court, and more information about the Hoop Shoot, click here.