We were able to play in a second NCAA recruiting event in Liberty, MO from July 27-30. We finished with a 2-3 record and were the runner-up in the consolation bracket. We faced teams from Illinois, Oklahoma, and Iowa in this tournament. 

GAME 1:     Illinois Bears 76                  Freedom Hoops 53
GAME 2:    Oklahoma Wolfpack 67    Freedom Hoops 53
GAME 3:    Freedom Hoops 73            All Iowa Attack 62
GAME 4:    Freedom Hoops 69           Playmakers Express 56
GAME 5:    Iowa Pump N Run 74         Freedom Hoops 62

This wrapped up our summer competitive season. We'll pick back up in the fall with more tournaments after school gets underway. 
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Thank you Josh Weinstock for coming to shoot some video highlights for us!

We participated in the Lawrence Hardwood Classic Tournament June 20-23, 2017. This was our first ever NCAA Live recruiting event, a tournament where top-tier college coaches flock to to see the best talent from the Midwest and beyond. This was a great chance for our guys to get seen by college coaches and play against top-tier competition. 

We finished the weekend 3-2, finishing as the runner-up in the consolation bracket for our age group. We played teams from Oklahoma, Iowa, Texas, and Kansas over the weekend. 

One highlight from the weekend was a visit to our friends' farm outside of Lawrence. They were gracious enough to host us and feed us dinner between games the Friday of the tournament. 

Another highlight was when our guys watched the 3-point contest and dunk contest after the games one night. Some of our kids were able to get their picture taken with the contest winners (who were from a team in New York), which they were very excited about. They also met KU senior basketball player Devonte Graham that night.

Tournament Results:

GAME 1:     Heat Elite (OK) 54             Freedom Hoops 51
GAME 2:     Freedom Hoops 60         Iowa Intensity 52
GAME 3:     Freedom Hoops 64         NAOE Bulldawgz (TX) 20
GAME 4:     Freedom Hoops 73         JC Hoops (KS) 70
GAME 5:     Ball4Life Black (OK) 66   Freedom Hoops 59

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WEEKEND:

We did it! Our first summer running a fireworks stand is in the books! Overall, it was a long and hard week, but we learned a lot, made memories, and had fun! Some highlights from the week:

1. Many of our 16U team members came to help unload the truck and set up the stand before we opened
2. Several of our 10U team members volunteered their time to be salesmen during the week. 
3. Through the generosity of friends and family, we were well fed and stocked with supplies to make it through the week.
4. Several local news outlets visited us throughout the week, including Fox 4 (twice), 41 Action News, and 98.1 News Radio.  
5. We employed three young men who learned valuable work skills, gained business experience, and were able to earn money while doing so. 
6. We also earned money for our program that will go toward engaging and discipling urban youth in 2018.