News From The Court

Notice: Elks National Foundation Statement on COVID-19 (posted 3/10/2020)

Notice! Like you, the Elks National Foundation is monitoring the rapidly evolving Coronavirus, COVID-19, outbreak. As the situation continues to unfold, we are following CDC guidelines on practical ways to prevent the spread of infection. Read more here.

Jacobi Lafferty, a 2017 Hoop Shoot National Champion Volunteers in Vermont (posted 3/3/2020)

Jacobi Lafferty, a 2017 Hoop Shoot National Champion, volunteered at the Vermont State Contest as a Rebounder. "There were so many great lessons I learned from competing in the Hoop Shoot," writes Jacobi Lafferty, a 2017 #HoopShoot National Champion. "One of the most important things I learned was about how it was necessary to have a positive mindset and that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything." Read Jacobi's blog, "Sometimes You Miss Your First Shot," on the Elks National Foundation Blog.#TrueGritTuesday

2020 Morgan Wootten Award Winners Announced! (posted 2/26/2020)

The Elks Hoop Shoot is the proud new sponsor of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s annual Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award. The sponsorship is the latest collaboration between the Hoop Shoot and the Hall of Fame, a partnership that has endured for more than 35 years. The Hall of Fame awards two Wootten Awards annually to boys and girls high school coaches who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of student athletes. The award is named for Morgan Wootten, a legendary high school basketball coach enshrined at the Hall of Fame. The 2020 Wootten Award recipients are boys’ basketball coach Freddy Johnson from Greensboro Day School in North Carolina and girls’ basketball coach Jill Prudden from Oak Ridge High School in Tennessee. Read more here.

The Beauty of Coaching–the Morgan Wootten Award (posted 2/26/2020)

The Elks Hoop Shoot is the proud new sponsor of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s annual Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award. Since 2007, the Hall of Fame has awarded two Wootten Awards annually to boys and girls high school coaches who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of student athletes. The award is named for Morgan Wootten, a legendary high school basketball coach enshrined at the Hall of Fame. Learn more about our sponsorship here.

Dream Big (posted 2/21/2020)

Before Israel Idonije was big enough to fit into the shoulder pads and helmet that would be his NFL uniform, he dreamed of superheroes and star athletes—and how he could be one.

Bailey Finn Shooting Star in High School Basketball (posted 2/20/2020)

Two-time #HoopShoot National Champion, Bailey Finn, finds success in first year of high school basketball. She's averaging 16.6 points per game and shooting 82 percent from the free-throw line. Her focus and determination were evident throughout her time in the Hoop Shoot, making it to National Finals four times and taking home two National Championships. She's carried these characteristics to her high school basketball career. Read more about her experience here.

2019 National Finals keynote speaker Kendall Coyne featured in "As Fast as Her" (posted 2/7/2020)

The 2019 #HoopShoot National Finals keynote speaker, Kendall Coyne, became the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star skills competition last year, and the Chicago Blackhawks just released "As Fast as Her," an 18-minute documentary featuring Kendall's story and the groundbreaking moments of her career. Check out how Kendall continues to pave the way for women and girls in hockey at YouTube.com/Blackhawks.

What you give in life, you get back (posted 2/6/2020)

When Tommy Goodelle was 2, his father, Andrew, started teaching him how to shoot a basketball.

One Big Family (posted 2/6/2020)

Over the course of five years, Carrie Silsby watched her son Barron grow up—not just from a nine-year-old into a thirteen-year-old, but from a kid into a resilient, hard-working, and gritty young adult—all thanks to the Elks Hoop Shoot.

The Family Religion (posted 2/6/2020)

Wayne Bower developed plenty of grit—his lucky charm—en route to the 2019 Hoop Shoot National Finals. But, he might’ve learned a bit about grit, and now gratitude, from his dad, too.