EHS Alumni Tourney Spotlight - Everett Hoop Club

The t-shirts are printed.  The high school players are ready to become referees.  Old guys are ready to compete like they're 18 again, and are ready to be sore for the next week.  It's time for the 2015 Everett High Alumni Basketball Tournament.

True to tradition, the Tournament will tip-off tomorrow afternoon (12/31) at 12:00pm at "The Pit", with registration beginning at 11:30am.  The Alumni Tournament Committee is asking all participants to make a minimum $10 suggested donation, while donations of $20 or more will get you a tournament t-shirt (much thanks to H&L Sports and Screen Printing Northwest for once again donating the shirts and screen printing!).  Proceeds from the tournament will go towards supporting a cause I know we can all get behind as former Seagulls.

I'm going to take a minute and share some thoughts on an organization I’ve been proud to work with and represent this year: the Everett Hoop Club. As a parent, former player and coach, and EHS alum, It's been a thrill to be part of a group that is making a tangible difference in the lives of aspiring youth basketball players in the City of Everett.

Founded in 2011, Everett Hoop Club is registered 501c3 non-profit organization that is committed to providing player development and personal empowerment opportunities for kids in grades 5-8 attending Everett Public Schools that will one day feed to Everett High School. By placing our boys and girls players on age-specific teams that compete each year against some of the best competition in the Puget Sound region, the organization is committed to using basketball as a conduit that not only develops on-court abilities, but also teaches valuable life skills and values.

Everett Hoop Club provides kids with quality coaching and mentorship (several coaches are EHS alums), as well as access to quality practice facilities provided by the Everett School District. The kids are learning the values of leadership, collaboration, and hard work, and how these intangible skills can positively impact not only their basketball experience, but also their academic endeavors and interpersonal relationships.


Most importantly, Everett Hoop Club believes that all players willing to commit to our curriculum should have the opportunity to participate, regardless of any specific family’s financial hardship. Of the 85 program participants during the 2015-16, nearly 50% are unable to meet the full player participant fee obligation. As such, we are steadfast in our belief that fiscal hardships will not be a barrier for participation. To help meet this need, the organization subsidizes player fees for families/households that do not have the means to meet the financial obligation.

While the organization creates small revenue streams through league and tournament game admissions, fundraising is a necessary ingredient to offsetting the cost of maintaining a quality program. In order to continue to make this rewarding experience a reality for our kids, we work diligently to reach out to community members and offer the opportunity to contribute.  In this spirit, we are reaching out to our Alumni Basketball player base for support.  There's not a better group of people that can fully relate to the value that a solid youth basketball experience can bring a young player.  It's my hope that our network of alums can demonstrate that belief in that value by giving back to what gave us all so much.

As was previously mentioned, all Alumni Tournament contributions will go directly to Everett Hoop Club and will provide the means to purchase uniforms and equipment, league fees, facility usage fees, player liability insurance, and other operating costs.  If you have any questions about Everett Hoop Club, please don't hesitate to pull me aside during the tournament tomorrow.  I'll post some tidbits below about the Club.

See you all tomorrow at 12:00pm!

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Everett Hoop Club - Board of Directors
Tom Gish
Lewis Hendry
Jo Levin
Ross Rettenmier
Bobby Thompson
Joe Wilson

EHS Alumni currently coaching Everett Hoops Club teams
Sadie (Ramsted) Hoekendorf, Class of 1995 - 5th grade girls
Jeannie (Thompson) Boyer, Class of 1998 - 6th grade girls
Michael Daly, Class of 2010 - 5th grade boys
Bill Collins, Class of 1980 - 6th grade boys
Tom Wilkinson, Class of 2005 - 8th grade boys
David Popich, Class of 2015 - 8th grade boys

EVERETT HOOP CLUB - BY THE NUMBERS
270 - Number of team practices to be conducted by Everett Hoop Club during the 2015-16 season.
205 - Number of games to be played by Everett Hoop Club teams during the 2015-16 season
67.5 - Hours of practice time each player will receive during the 2015-16 season.
16 - Number of coaches in Everett Hoop Club program.
12 - Number of weekend days Everett High School will be utilized for Everett Hoop Club home games.