Friday, March 4th, 2016
Ronnebaum proves to be a sharp shooter
Marion Local sixth-grader wins state free throw contest, heads to regional tournament
By Colin Foster
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard
Brady Ronnebaum works on his free throw shooting form on Monday in Maria Stein. The Marion Local sixth grader, who recently won the state Elks Hoop Shoot contest, will compete later this month in the regional tournament with the opportunity to advance to the nationals.
MARIA STEIN - Marion Local has produced an abundance of state champions over the years.
Sixth grader Brady Ronnebaum added himself to that list on Feb. 20 when he won the 10-11 age division of the Elks State Hoop Shoot Free Throw Contest by hitting 21-of-25 free throws at Gahanna Middle School South.
"It means a lot to me," Brady said. "All my hard work has paid off."
The win qualifies Brady for the United States Great Lakes Region 4 Hoop Shoot Competition on March 18-20 in Angola, Ind.
The Elks Hoop Shoot is a partner with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. It's a free-throw contest for ages 8-13. Winners advance via local, district, state and regional contests before reaching the National Finals. The six national champions will have their names inscribed in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Brady comes from good basketball stock. His dad, Mark, had a successful playing stint at Marion Local High School and is now the junior varsity boys coach, while his mom, Jenny, is a former Flyer player herself. Brady gets a lot of shooting practice during the winter months as a manager for the Marion Local boys team. He has also developed quite the reputation as the "Halftime Hustler" at Marion games, known for cleaning house in the dollar three-point game.
Brady wears his Marion Local managing shirt as a good luck charm on free-throw contest days, and he'll put it on once again when he shoots for a regional title.
"I am very excited and beyond thrilled to have made it this far," he said. "The level of competition gets very difficult at the regional level, and for that reason, I am hoping to make all 25 free throws."
Brady has been close to going 25-for-25 in past contests. He made the cut by hitting 17-of-25 in the Mercer County Elks shoot-off at Marion Local. He won the Mercer County Elks 10-11 age division by making 22-of-25. He advanced to the Elks' state contest and won first place in Findlay by knocking down 24-of-25.
A total of 36 children from six Ohio districts competed in the event at Gahanna. Brady's score of 21 was one better than that of runner-up Jack Steiner, Wooster, and it secured him first place in his age division. Brady's sister, Chloe (8-9 age division), is a sharp shooter in her own right. Chloe won her division in Findlay and just missed out on a trip to Angola with a fourth-place finish at state.
Two other state winners are from Greenville in Isabella Black (8-9 girls division) and Rylee Sagester (10-11 girls division). All six Ohio winners will now compete in Angola against state champions from Indiana and Michigan. The winners advance to the National Competition in Chicago, Ill. on April 14-17.
Brady had the chance to compete at the state level a year ago but had a scheduling conflict on the day of the event. Instead of competing in the contest, Brady played in his own basketball game. This year, though, Brady wasn't about to let the opportunity of becoming a state champion slip away.
"It's truly an honor," Brady said. "State champion is something I worked really hard to achieve. Getting a feel of it now makes me want to work even harder to become a state champ again as I get older and play high school sports at Marion Local."
