Hope 4 Hoopers Night a Huge Success
KIRKLAND, Wash. - The joint donation drive by NU Athletics and Hope 4 Hoopers proved to be a huge success on Saturday night as 97 pairs of shoes were donated by the NU community and fans along with cash donations.
Hope 4 Hoopers founders Jared Mace and Nate Holthenrichs were overwhelmed by the turn out and results of the Northwest involvement. "...please extend our thanks to the Northwest community who so generously helped make this event a success," said Jared Mace.
Each person donating a pair of shoes or a cash donation was given a raffle ticket for drawings for prizes which were given away during both games. Northwest University Student Government took part in conducting the drawings and organizing games during each halftime.
A capacity crowd filled the NU Pavilion Saturday night as Warner Pacific was in town for a conference doubleheader headlined by a men's match-up of two NAIA ranked teams. Warner Pacific came into the game ranked #10 and Northwest ranked #11. It was also senior night for the NU women and men as three senior women were honored by Coach Lori Napier and six members of the men's team were recognized by Coach Van Dyke and the teams.
Hope 4 Hoopers plans to take most of the shoes donated on their trip to the Philippines in March where they plan to help repair basketball courts, sponsor a 5k run and offer basketball camps and clinics to the local youths.
"We were happy to partner with Hope 4 Hoopers and the NU community showed their generosity and spirit," commented NU Director of Athletics, Gary McIntosh. "It's a worthwhile cause and we're very pleased with the results of the donation drive."