Hoops 4 Haiti tournament sees another successful year

The 2025 Hoops 4 Haiti 3x3 basketball tournament took place March 5 in Alumni Gym and saw eight teams take part in spirited and fun competition. More importantly, the fundraiser — sponsored each year by the Student Government and Isokan, Thayer’s African American / Black affinity group — raised $721 to be donated directly to the St. Rock Haiti Foundation. 

Upper School World Languages Faculty Terri Lukens P ‘24, ‘27 and Upper School History Faculty Jamal Middlebrooks helped to oversee the event, but the lion’s share of the work was undertaken by Student Government and Isokan volunteers ably organized and led by Isokan President Annadelle Agbonjiazoe ‘25, Student Government President Luke Driscoll ‘25, and Casey Lukens ‘27. 

The 3x3 tournament fields teams of five to six players; all teams are gender-inclusive, and no team may have more than two varsity basketball players. The half-court games are decided by the first team to five points in the earlier rounds, the first team to 11 points in the later rounds, or the team leading after a 10-minute period if those point totals haven’t been reached. 

Lukens thanked the day’s volunteers for making the round-robin hoops tournament possible and also thanked the many students who played on teams. She gave a special shout-out to the tourney’s faculty team, Call Me Swishmael, for taking part in the fun. Team members included: Upper School Science Faculty Myles Walsh; Upper School English Faculty Bo Cramer; Editorial Director Craig Salters ‘86 P ‘24: Digital Media Coordinator Emmett Knox; Upper School Math & Computer Science Faculty Derek Keough ‘12; Manager of Auxiliary Services Ian Wheeler; DEIB Assistant Director Olivia Pena; and Upper School Math & Computer Science Faculty Leeanne Dillman. 

But the day’s bragging rights belonged to Team Sixty-Seveners, which took the 2025 Hoops 4 Haiti crown. Team members included: Giavanna Christiano '27, Dakota DeVries '27, Justice Grant '28, Conor Chi '27, and Brayden Buckley '28.

In 2010 Haiti suffered a massive earthquake that sent the country into shock. Wanting to help the thousands who were without shelter, food, and water, Thayer students started a club called Hope for Haiti and partnered with the St. Rock Haiti Foundation. In 2013, a group of students — Gabe Bresnahan '15, Tom Kotopoulos '15, and Jack Cadigan '15, who wanted to continue with their support of Haiti — started the 3x3 basketball tournament to raise funds that would aid St. Rock Haiti with their mission to improve the lives of all Haitians.The annual games have continued since that year.