HUB Northwest in mix for eighth straight title, Be Ball For Life looks for third championship | Hoopfest elite
After the first day of Hoopfest 2026, the usual suspects are in the mix to extend impressive runs from previous seasons.
Headlining the group is HUB Northwest, which is seeking its eight straight 6-foot and over championship, which would break a record they set two summers ago. The group of former college players Mike Hart (Gonzaga), Parker Kelly (Eastern Washington), Marc Axton (EWU) and Robert Lippman (Northwest Nazarene) used a win over Purple Motion to advance to the semifinals of its bracket.
The ex-college hoopers have faced a bit of adversity in recent years, but in the end, they've looked no worse for the wear. Headed into last year's event, Hart and Kelly were nursing injuries that put their availabilities in serious jeopardy. But both were able to go, helping Hub Northwest capture its seventh straight title.
The squad is on the hunt for an eighth, but not without some real competition. Also alive headed into Sunday's games are Wrecking Ball (formerly Big Juicy) and Mammasboys, which finished second in 2025 and 2024, respectively. Mammasboys dispatched Mass Tracy, moving onto its semifinals to play Clowns and Bodyguard, and Wrecking Ball advanced to the semifinals of the same bracket thanks to a win over EO Hoopers. Wrecking Ball will take on Zag Nation at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
The 2023 Big Juicy team included Spokane native Dominick Oliveri and Ethan Boag, who both played in Canada collegiately, but they have since created their own teams. Boag departed to form Wrecking Ball: Jakob Neufeld and Izzy Helman, all three of whom played at the University of Victoria, plus Lucas Sheet, a native of Victoria.
Mammasboys rosters the same group, including Aubrey Shelton (head basketball coach at Puget Sound), Austin Shelton, Ben Shelton and Kaleb Shelton-Johnson.
In other 6-foot and over action...
-Custodians, which includes former Washington State players Charlie Enquist and Brett Boese, is also in the semifinals of its bracket. On Sunday morning, that group will take on Boto Boys, which features Jerry Twenge, Jake Holtz, Miguel Lopez and John-Todd McDermott, all of whom formerly played at Whitworth.
-BSN Sports, which includes Spokane Colleges men's head coach Jeremy Groth, finds itself in the loser's side of its bracket. But with three wins, the team could advance to the championship game.
6-foot and under
Two-time champion Be Ball For Life is squarely in the mix for another title. The squad - which includes Maurice Thomas, Dominique McClendon, Markieth Brown and Michael Hannan - used victories over Carter Green Elite and MK Service to head to its semfinals, where it will meet KJCPA.
Waiting in the other semifinals is NW Warriors Elite (Aaron Antoine, Ahbrae Harvey, Therone Tillett, Ross Nakamura), which captured the crown in 2023. The first three on that list are all connected to the Lilac City Legends, a minor-league pro team from Spokane, while Nakamura spent time with Whitworth. Tillett played at Rogers High before a short stint with the San Diego Toreros.
In other 6-foot and under action, back in its own semifinals is ASAP, which took down Velocity Elite and Rents Due to advance to Sunday. The group, which rosters Justin Bright, Jason Carmichael, Dawson Youngblood and David Kielian, will square off with H Three C.
On the other side of the bracket is Millwood (Brandon Davis, Joshua Thomas, Alfie Miller and Jordan Gassman), which got there by earning wins over Half N Half and Bsto by Tangen. The team, which came in second last year, has lots of ties to the area: Davis is a Spokane native, as is Thomas, a Central Valley graduate who played at Eastern Washington from 2017-19. His artwork has been featured on Hoopfest team and championship shirts, plus the official Hoopfest ball.
Co-ed elite
Back in the mix for a championship is Let It Flyy, which includes Austin Bolt, who own Idaho Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year honors in basketball and football in 2020 at Borah High in Boise. That team, which also includes Bolt's brother Aidan, beat Nice Socks Inc and FOE on Saturday.
At 8:30 a.m. Sunday, that group will go head-to-head with Baden, one of the team's top challengers. Last summer's second-place finisher, Baden rosters Jordan Barron, Fernando Barron, Jeremy Gaudette and Micah Colburn, who defeated Culdesac Kidz and Ethical Hoopers, a team comprised of social media influencers Jack Appleby, basketball creators Austin Nam and Gia Mancini and teammate Caleb La-Anyan.
Note: Due to a decline in registered teams, there is no women's elite bracket in 2026.
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