Posted on by Amanda Brenner
HOOPS CLASSIC CHAMPIONS

HOOPS CLASSIC CHAMPIONS

March 13, 2019
Megha Kalthia Photography

On Friday, March 8 and Sunday, March 10, SoCal Elite Sports hosted the 16th annual Hoops Classic Basketball Tournament to benefit Irvine Public Schools Foundation. The Hoops Classic is a school-based tournament, with teams comprised of players from individual schools in the city of Irvine, including boys’ and girls’ teams in grades three through eight. This year, over 824 students from 90 schools participated in the tournament, 98 teams in total, including 22 girls’ teams.

“The purpose of these tournaments is to promote school spirit and unite the Irvine community through district-wide sports tournaments, while providing exciting, fun opportunities for physical sports education and skill development for the students of IUSD,” explains Neda Eaton, President and CEO of Irvine Public Schools Foundation. “In its 16th year, we are thrilled to see the continued growth of the Hoops Classic and are so grateful for the students, parents, coaches, and volunteers who come out in support of educational excellence.”

This year’s Hoops Classics champions include:

  • Boys 3rd: Alderwood Elementary
  • Boys 4th: Westpark Elementary
  • Boys 5th: Woodbury Elementary
  • Boys 6th: Vista Verde Elementary
  • Boys 7th: South Lake Middle Schools
  • Boys 8th: Lakeside Middle Schools
  • Girls 3/4: Peters Canyon (Portola Springs Elementary 2nd place)
  • Girls 5/6: Portola Springs Elementary
  • Girls 7/8: Pioneer (South Lake Middle School 2nd)

The Irvine-based Hoops Classic will serve as a fundraiser to benefit Irvine Public Schools Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on enriching the educational experience of each child in every school. This basketball event is the final phase of a larger tournament series called the Irvine Tournament of Champions, consisting of soccer (Harvest Cup), flag football (Winter Bowl), and basketball (Hoops Classic) tournaments. Schools earn points for their performance in each tournament, and the school with the most points at the end is awarded the Champions Cup in the spring to display at their school the following year.