Oneonta third-grader earns shot at state title

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February 11, 2012

Anonymous Staff Report The Daily Star Sat Feb 11, 2012, 02:30 AM EST

Tanner Russin of Oneonta is looking to hit Glens Falls with his best shot.

Center Street Elementary third-grader Tanner made it three in a row Feb. 4, when he won the 8-9 boys age-group title during the 2012 Elks Hoop Shoot State Semifinals at Herkimer County Community College.

Tanner, 9, made 18 of 25 shots to clinch a berth in the state-championship round, which is scheduled for March 3 in Glens Falls.

Tanner won the state semifinal by two shots over Brogan LaRose of Ogdensburg. Rome resident Justin Hoke sank 15 shots to finish third.

Tanner advanced to the state semifinals by winning a tiebreaker in the New York State South Central District competition Jan. 21 at Homer Jr./Sr. High School. After going 19-for 25 to tie Jack Gutchess of Cortland, Tanner clinched the district title with a 5-for-5 effort in the extra round (Jack went 3-for-5).

Tanner's championship quest started on his ninth birthday, when he went 19-for-25 to win the 8-9 boys title during the Oneonta Elks Lodge Youth Hoop Shoot on Nov. 19 at the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club.

Tanner plays travel basketball for the OBGC, where he also competes in the Pickett's Basketball League.

An Oneonta Little League All-Star who also plays youth soccer in the fall, Tanner will be the third Oneonta boy to represent Elks Lodge 1312 at the New York State Hoop Shoot Championships.

Mike Calkins reached the state finals in 2007 and Jordan Gutierrez did the same in 2009 and 2010.

Now a baseball and basketball standout as a senior at Oneonta High, Calkins qualified for the state finals as a 12-year-old. Gutierrez's back-to-back appearances came at the ages of 12 and 13.

New York State Hoop Shoot champions may qualify for the Northeast Central Region 5 Hoop Shoot Semifinal, which is scheduled for March 24 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

The national semifinal will feature qualifiers from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., will host the National Hoop Shoot Final on April 28.

T.J. Meyerson of Poughkeepsie is the last New York shooter to win a national title as he hit 24 of 25 to earn the 12-13 boys crown in 2003.

The list of national Hoop Shoot champions includes two-time Olympic gold-medalist and former Golden State Warriors guard Chris Mullin, former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Trajon Langdon and former Major League Baseball infielder Chris Snopek.

ELKS HOOP SHOOT

STATE SEMIFINALS

Results Feb. 4 from the 2012 Elks Hoop Shoot State Semifinals at Herkimer County CC.

8-9 Boys: 1, Tanner Russin, Oneonta 18-for-25; 2, Brogan LaRose, Ogdensburg 16; 3, Justin Hoke, Rome 15.

8-9 Girls: 1, Anna Snyder, Camillus 14-for-25; 2, Molly Williams, Ogdensburg 13; 3, Elizabeth Morgan, Herkimer 12.

10-11 Boys: 1, John Hawthorne, Oneida 20-for-25; 2, Declan Porter, Potsdam 18; 3, Isaiah Bishop, Owego 17.

10-11 Girls: 1, Grace Thomas, Owego 19-for-25; 2, Keara Blumenstock, Herkimer 15; 3, Jacqueline Storrin, Ogdensburg 14.

12-13 Boys: 1, Tyler Wegmann, Vestal 20-for-25; 2, James Wheeler, Rome 18 (tiebreaker 9); 3, Dylon Conklin Auburn, 18 (tiebreaker 6).

12-13 Girls: 1, Alexis Smith, Carthage 24-for-25; 2, Tiana Scales-Pugh, Rome 21; 3, Rachel Blasiand, Camillus 18.