2nd Annual Hoopin' in Heaven - Tommy B. Night
The 2nd Annual Hoopin' in Heaven - Tommy B. Night was held January 13, 2017 @ 7:00 pm at Sartell High School.
We would like to say thank you to everyone for all of the love, help, and support that went into last month’s Hoopin’ in Heaven - Tommy B. night.
This year’s event was fairly similar to the first one – approximately 1,000 people were in attendance, and there was a sea of neon green shirts both on the court and in the stands. The TB Foundation also gave away 800 glow-in-the-dark Tommy B. wrist bands before the game started, and more than 100 Hoopin’ in Heaven shirts were sold at the event. It’s incredibly heartwarming to continue to see so many people show support for Tom and the Foundations’ cause.
There was also a 50/50 General Raffle this year – which amazingly raised $1,400! The winner was gracious enough to donate the $700 back to the Tom Bearson Foundation, who in turn donated the $700 to the Sartell Boys High School Basketball Team. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Joe and Bethany Gieske, Todd Belling, Kim Tillotson, and others who ran the raffle for the night. It means a lot to us to be able to help give back to the team and program that meant so much to Tom during his basketball career – and life.
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There was a moment of silence to honor Tom before the game began, and just like last year, one of the players held up Tom’s #1 jersey during the national anthem. This image will always bring tears to our eyes; to see Tom’s old teammates – and those who never even played with him – hold his jersey up for everyone to see is an incredible sight, and the perfect visual representation of how thoughtful and kind the Sartell community and basketball program have been to us over the last two and a half years.
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The Alexandria Aces Basketball Performance team put on a spectacular show for everyone at Halftime. What a phenomenal group of kids! The crowd absolutely loved watching them, and the Alexandria Aces seemed to really enjoy themselves out there. It’s always wonderful to see kids participating in an activity that they love. Thank you Alexandria Aces and Coach Larry Novotny!
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Also, we’d like to say a huge thank you to the Basketball Captain’s parents! The Markmans, Starks, and Bellings put in A LOT of work for this night, and we couldn’t be more thankful! We remember how much work goes into being a captain’s parent, so thank you for giving away even more of your time to help.
Thank you Coach Marcus Oistad and Athletic Director John Ross for helping put this event together! We are forever grateful for both of your efforts in preserving Tom’s memory on the Sartell Basketball court. We also want to thank the Fergus Falls Basketball Team and Coach Johnson for being a part of our event and wearing the lime green Hoopin’ in Heaven Tommy B. shirts!
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It was an awesome basketball game to be at – full of excitement, action, and a truly engaged crowd! Tom would’ve loved it. Unfortunately, Sartell lost in overtime. It’s difficult for the players to lose such a hard-fought game, but sometimes that’s just how it goes – you’ll get ‘em next time!
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Lastly, thank you to the Tom Bearson Foundation Board Members! Your endless commitment and efforts most definitely do not go unnoticed! We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you to the Sartell Community for once again supporting our beloved Tom. It means the world to us. Thank you to Scott Edelbrock Photography for taking so many amazing pictures of the event!
