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Basketball sharpshooter heads for nationals
Following weeks of putting his precision basketball skills to the test, a student from Mountain Home Junior High School will face the nation's best after he won regional-level honors over the weekend.
Facing competitors from across Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, Marcus Egusquiza sank 24 of his 25 free throw attempts to win top honors in his division during the Elks Lodge Hoop Shoot Competition in Portland, Ore.
His precision on the court led him to also win the Frank Hise Outstanding Shooter award for the weekend. The victory comes just weeks after he shot his way to the top of the pack during the recent state tournament.
"Our lodge, Mountain Home 2276, has been very proud of Marcus' achievements this year and wish him the very best of luck," said Larry Fincher, who chairs the local competition in Mountain Home each year. "The Mountain Home lodge would love to put another youth in the Basket Ball Hall of Fame."
Egusquiza was one of 24 students representing "the very best of their states," Fincher said. To reach this point of the competition, these youngsters had to surpass 90,000 others that participated in the initial hoop shoot tryouts.
For Egusquiza, his quest for a national title started several weeks ago as students from the Base Primary, East, North and West Elementary schools, Hacker Middle School and the junior high school vied for first-place honors. Following his win at a second-tier event Jan. 14, he went 22-for-25 during his sixth appearance at a district event two weeks later.
"There was a tremendous amount of effort, dedication and family and friends support to get them in the limelight this weekend," Fincher said.
By the time a student competes at the national finals in Massachusetts, they would've bested an estimated three million children that originally tried out during the initial phase of the yearly event, according to Fincher.
"The level of competition gets harder and harder as they advance," he added. "They are among faces they don't recognize, and the silence can be nerve racking. You can see their nervousness in their faces and body language."
Fincher considers this basketball sharpshooter "a very social, polite individual" that cheered on the other competitors while he remained relatively calm as he competed.
For Egusquiza, a four-time state finalist, Saturday's win marked a milestone of sorts since he will be too old to compete again next year, Fincher said.
"He defiantly decided to go out with a bang this year," he added. "He had been to district all six years, to state levels four years and now on to win regionals. What an adventure it has been."
In addition to Egusquiza's parents, Mitch and Brenda Egusquiza, Fincher and his wife, Brenda, admit they were equally excited and nervous as each child made a shot during each of these events. It's tough to see who is more nervous -- the challengers or those supporting them, according to Fincher.
"It seems those of us in the bleachers are holding our breath each shot," he added. "We have and do become so emotionally invested with these kids that it sure has the adults with flip flopping stomachs and shaking hands."
Egusquiza's participation in the annual hoop shoot competitions continues a tradition of sorts in his family. His older brother, Jake, was also a competitor in past hoop shoot events.
The teen, along with his parents and supporters from the local lodge, will travel to Springfield, Mass., the last weekend in April for the Grand Lodge Hoop Shoot Nationals, where he will face teens representing 12 regions across the United States.
During the regional finals, six children, including four from Idaho, earned the right to advance to the national event. They're expected to be among the 72 children and teens attending this event.
People across the local community, along with family and friends, can send messages to Egusquiza online at www.elks.org/hoopshoot on the message link. Officials with the Grand Lodge will present these messages to the teen when he registers.