23 years later, Nampa boy hopes to win the same national title as his dad
Needing all the strength his 8-year-old legs can muster, Wayne Bower rises from a crouched position and releases his shot with the flick of his wrist.
He holds his form as the basketball drops through the net, and his father, Jacob Bower, catches the ball and passes it back to him.
Wayne and his dad have practiced nearly every day like this since January to prepare for the 2019 Elks Hoop Shoot National Finals set for Saturday in Chicago. The third grader from Liberty Charter School in Nampa had to win contests at the local, district, state and regional levels in the 8-9 age group and is now one of 72 finalists to qualify for the national competition — and just 12 in his age group.
But he isn’t the first in his family to advance to nationals.
Jacob won a national title as a 12-year-old in 1996, and Wayne’s uncle, Danny Bower, went to nationals in 1984.
“The Elks Hoop Shoot was like a religion in our family. My oldest brother, Danny, he went. All of us boys did it pretty religiously,” Jacob said. “I just remember from a young age going and watching their competitions and the preparation that led up to it, whether going to the church or the park or coming in the gym and practicing for it. Eventually when I got to that age, I just tried replicating in their footsteps.”
The Bower name likely sounds familiar to longtime Treasure Valley sports fans. The five Bower brothers — Danny, Greg, Ricky, Mike and Jacob — dominated the Idaho prep sports scene for years. Each went on to play college basketball except Jacob, the youngest of the quintet, who chose football instead.
Jacob initially committed to BYU when he graduated from Mountain View High in 2003. He then went on a two-year church mission and returned to find that the Cougars had replaced Gary Crowton — the coach who recruited him — with Bronco Mendenhall. Jacob stayed one semester at BYU and decided to transfer to Bakersfield College. After a 12-1 season with the Renegades, Jacob accepted a scholarship to Tulsa. He played two seasons for the Golden Hurricane and earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science. He transferred to McNeese State for his final season as a Division I quarterback while also earning his masters in health and human performance.
As a competitor, Jacob was known for his steely nerves, and he says it all started with the Elks Hoop Shoot.
“I mean this with all my heart, it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done,” Jacob said. “It really teaches you how to perform under pressure. There’s a lot of pressure when you go to these events, and it just teaches you to control that sick feeling inside and to fight through it.”
Wayne is the youngest Bower to qualify for nationals — and he made it on his first try. Through the first four rounds of competition, Wayne has made 94 of 100 free throws. The regulation foul line is 15 feet, but shooters in the 8-9 competition shoot from an 11-foot line.
“This was a big part of our lives growing up, but we kind of forgot about it over the years,” Jacob said. “We didn’t even know about it until we saw a sign in the rec center, so (Wayne) didn’t really start practicing for it until two weeks before the event.”
During one practice session this spring, Wayne made 64 straight free throws, which he said was “pretty awesome.” He made 23 of 25 attempts at the Northwest Region I competition last month in Vancouver, Washington, to earn the Frank Hise Most Outstanding Shooter Award — a trophy his dad and uncles never won.
Wayne doesn’t miss often, but when he does, he has a simple way to regroup.
“I concentrate harder,” he said.
A spokesman with the Elks National Foundation in Chicago did not know if a father and son have ever won the national competition.
On the day of nationals, the 8-9 shooters will be the first to go, starting at 7 a.m. MT. After a 10-minute warmup period, each of the 12 contestants, in order of their draw, will shoot 10 shots for score. All 12 contestants then shoot 15 shots in the same order to complete their 25 shots for score.
Competitors can’t take more than four controlled dribbles between shots and have 10 seconds to take each shot once they are handed the ball.
“I’m proud of myself that I made it this far,” Wayne said. “None of my uncles or anything made it their first time.”
Nampa qualifies two for nationals
Tracen Tripple, an 11-year-old from Birch Elementary in Nampa, won the boys 10-11 age group at the Northwest Region I competition by making 22 of 25 free throws.
Tracen’s dad, Tennison Tripple, was the varsity boys basketball coach at Columbia High for three seasons.
This will be Tracen’s first trip to the national competition.
