Luke Mathis Competes in Regional Competition

REDLANDS>> Luke Mathis, 12-year-old Redlands resident, competed in Regional Elks Hoop Shoot in Las Vegas, Nevada after winning the state title for the fourth year in a row. Although Mathis worked hard to get to the regional competition, he placed second to Arizona's state champion. During the contest, they both shot 24 of 25 baskets, forcing a tiebreaker. Marvin Mathis, Luke’s father, said the two were perfect in the first tiebreaker, but Luke missed one shot in the second tiebreaker while Arizona’s state champion made perfect shots. “The thing I was most proud of was the manner Luke conducted himself in defeat,” Marvin said. “He showed great sportsmanship and maturation beyond his years and that was filled with anguish. To me this class act by Luke made me so proud to call him my son and provided me with more satisfaction than a victory would have. Sometimes, losing and learning from that loss provides opportunity for more growth than any victory.” In the recent regional contest, Luke shot at 96 percent accuracy, four points above Stephen Curry who leads the NBA in free throw percentage with 91.6 percent, according to the NBA. The Elks Hoop Shoot is a free throw shooting contest for youth ages 8-13 years old in which contestants shoot 25 free throws and the highest percentage wins. Mathis has been the Elks Hoop Shoot State Champion for the last three years and was also fifth in the nation 2 years ago. The Elks Hoop Shoot Contests consists of five contests that begin at a local level and continue to a district contest, state contest, regional contest and then nationals. Marvin said Luke is excited to get ready for next year’s Elks Hoop Shoot contest. “He was back in the gym the same day we returned from Vegas to start the process all over again,” Marvin said. Although Mathis did not take home the regional title, Luke had an opportunity to play in the Los Angeles Clippers NBA Skills Challenge Garden Grove on Feb. 28 where he won and competed in finals at the Clippers training facility in Playa del Vista. Mathis began playing basketball when he was 5 years old and has participated in the Elks Hoop Shoot since he was 8. Luke, a 7th grader at Moore Middle School, maintains a 3.94 GPA and plays AAU Travel Basketball out of Rancho Cucamonga for the RC Bulls.