ROSELLE, NJ — The Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children’s 19th annual High School Hoopfest raised more than $100,000 to fund partial tuition assistance scholarships for underprivileged students attending Archdiocese of Newark schools.
This year’s Hoopfest was in the Roselle Catholic High School gym on Saturday, Jan. 7, with more than 750 spectators cheering on teams from seven schools: Roselle Catholic, Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, St. Peter’s Prep, Union Catholic High School, Hudson Catholic High School, Seton Hall Prep and Immaculate Conception High School of Montclair.
“The basketball event highlights some of the top high school players in our region and helps fund scholarships for deserving students,” SFIC board member Kevin Cummings said.
Following the basketball games, SFIC recognized the academic achievements of student-athletes. Eight players were presented with the Highest Academic Achievement Award, acknowledging their accomplishments both on and off the court. SFIC board members Kevin Cummings, Michael Rolek, Kathleen Finnegan and Caridad Rigo presented the student-athletes with plaques.
The students are:
• Game 1 award: Girls team, Oak Knoll No. 10, Bridget Sheehan, and girls team, Roselle Catholic No. 14, Alexis Artiga.
• Game 2 award: Boys team, Hudson Catholic No. 5, Omari Moore, and boys team, Seton Hall Prep No. 24, Liam Toohey.
• Game 3 award: Boys team, Union Catholic No. 24, Raheem Williams, and boys team, St. Peters Prep No. 22, Lorenzo Enright.
• Game 4 award: Boys team, Roselle Catholic No. 3, Christian Pierre-Louis, and boys team, Immaculate Conception in Montclair No. 22, Bryan Mitchell.
Investors Bank, a division of Citizens Bancorp., sponsored the event.
Launched in 2004, High School Hoopfest has become a tradition for SFIC, with many future NBA stars, such as Kyle Anderson and Karl-Anthony Towns, participating throughout the years. All proceeds from the event’s ticket sales support SFIC’s scholarships, which benefit children at or below the poverty level without regard to ethnicity, gender, race or religion so they can attend private or parochial schools within the Archdiocese of Newark. To learn more about SFIC and its scholarships, visit the SFIC website.
Photos courtesy of the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children