Redlands Luke Mathis Geared Up for "Hoop Shoot" Contest

Many community members are very familiar with the name Luke Mathis by now. Moore Middle School student in Redlands is nothing short of a youth basketball star as everyone has witnessed his obvious talent throughout the years from the Elks Hoop Shoot Contests. As he earned many accolades in the past years, Mathis has proven that his success is not just a shooter’s touch. It’s due to his hard work, dedication, and love for basketball. Mathis has been the California State Champion for the past two years, the Regional runner-up two years ago; he was the Regional Winner this past year and took fifth place in the entire Nation last year in the “Elks Hoop Shoot Contest.” As Mathis previously shared his “No Days Off” motto, Mathis goes to the gym before school, after school, and even later on in the evenings to keep working on perfecting his shot. This year, the motto doesn’t change as he shoots about 450 shots in just one day. His father Marvin Mathis added, “We call this the triple D’s – Determination, Dedication, and Drive. This contest has only served to enhance and reinforce that latter.” That time of year for basketball is back, and Mathis is ready as his journey will start in December with a local competition at the YMCA in Redlands. According to Marvin, every month is a new competition. "Each month is taking another step further," he said. The five waves to progress through, in chronological order, are: Local, District, State, Regionals, and then the last step is Nationals. "It's a great contest; they do an awesome job," Marvin said. "Tony Lemos, the organizer for Redlands, does a great job of getting the word out there about the contest." According to Marvin, there are about three million kids worldwide that participate in the contest. Mathis has made it to the top 12 in previous years. Mathis' favorite NBA team is the Los Angeles Clippers with his favorite player being Chris Paul. “Just work hard every time and your time will come,” Mathis shared. “Because of those attributes and characteristics he’s developing, it’s going to help him be successful in anything in his life,” Marvin shared. The Elks National Foundation has recently made a video about Luke Mathis titled "A Real Cool Hand". It can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMB7zKr6XTQ