Jason Hull battled his way to the Elks Hoop Shoot finals on April 22 in Chicago, Ill. and wound up placing 12th overall amongst his 8 and 9-year old peers.
Jason Hull battled his way to the Elks Hoop Shoot finals on April 22 in Chicago, Ill. and wound up placing 12th overall amongst his 8 and 9-year old peers.
While Maupin native Jason Hull did not win a national championship, he can take pride in knowing he was one of top-12 free throw shooters across a nation of more than half a million participants between the ages of 8-13.
After clinching the Elk’s State Championship Hoop Shot title and a Northwest Regional crown, Hull earned a trip to Chicago, Ill. on April 22 for a dance with destiny at the National Hoop Shoot finals at DePaul University, where former stars George Mikan, Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings made their names known.
It was a special moment for the Hull family, as Jason was joined by his grandmother Patricia, mother Ronda, sister Julie and father, Jim.
“It was really cool,” Jim said. “I think Jason appreciated shooting in a place with those names on the wall, we sure thought it was cool to be in the gym that those guys played in.”
Of the peers in his age group, Jason was selected to shoot first and he sank 12 of 25 from 15-feet away to place 12th in a contest won by Ohio’s Colton Conkle, who swished a perfect 25 of 25 from the line to secure the win.
“It was very exciting,” Jason said. “I really want to go back next year. Now that I have been there, I know how to be prepared and what to plan for.”
Conkle will have his likeness on display on a plaque at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
At the Elk’s State Championships at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., Jason drained 23 of 25 free throws to vault into the next round.
On March 11, Jason hit on 22 of 25 free throws to defeat Armani Smith, Chatz Dollente and Christian Cordona at the Elk’s Northwest Regionals held at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash.
A week after their trip to Chicago, Jason and Julie Hull were invited to the State Elk’s Convention on April 29 in Seaside and both received recognition for their tireless efforts on the hardwood.
“We are very proud of their hard work and time commitment to practicing 100 shots almost every day for the last four months,” Jim said. “The community, school and the Elk’s No. 303 have been so supportive. The entire Elk’s organization is first class and that has made the experience one to remember.”
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