On February 11, nervous silence filled the Davie High School gym as the Hoopscoming King nominees waited at center court. The stands were filled not just with supporters of Davie’s basketball team, but also the friends and family of the boys on the court.
Anticipation for this moment had been building for weeks leading up to the game. Winter weather had kept Davie students out of school for almost two weeks. Originally scheduled for January 30, which ended up being a remote day for the county, the game was delayed again and again until the snow finally melted. The game would be played on February 11, and the king would finally be crowned.
This year’s event marked the third instance of Davie’s “Hoopscoming” games and the crowning of a “Hoopscoming” King. While the Homecoming King race has long since existed at Davie, it has often received less attention than the race for Homecoming Queen. When the nominations were moved from Homecoming week in the fall to their own week in the winter, accompanied by another spirit week and pep rally, the title was changed.
Many of the nominees were shocked to discover their names on the ballot. With so many delays due to winter weather, some nominees didn’t even realize that voting had taken place. But the surprises did not end with the nominations. Making the Hoopscoming court itself felt surreal for many of the boys, who attributed their selection to qualities like kindness, compassion, or simply being known around the school. For others, like senior Logan Zuleger, the reason appeared to be a lot more humorous.
“I think I was chosen because I told too many people not to nominate me, and they wanted to see me mess up and trip across the court during the pep rally,” Zuleger said. “Thankfully, we did not end up having it because of the winter weather.”
While the shock overtook many of the feelings surrounding the night, many of the nominees were not focused on the title they were given. For many of the nominated boys, it was the experience of walking the court with the people who have been there for them that was important. Whether it was a parent or the other boys on the court, it was these elements that stood out most for each of the nominees.
“The part that meant the most to me was being able to share the experience with my mom, who escorted me,” senior Noah Hamilton said. “She and my dad were my biggest supporters through all of this and throughout all of high school.”
As the tradition continued into its third year, the spotlight finally shifted to center court. As the announcer started to declare the court titles, cheering erupted from the stands as friends and family celebrated their loved ones.
Silence returned to the stands as the crowd waited for the night’s biggest reveal. As the announcer read the final name, the silence broke. Cheers erupted across the gym as Ethan Driver was crowned Davie’s 9th Homecoming King and the 3rd Hoopscoming King.
Driver was surprised to learn that he had won, having only expected that he would be runner-up at best. But for both Driver and the rest of the nominees, the prospect of winning was never the point of the evening. Rather than focusing on winning or not winning, each nominee instead cited the importance of character: being kind, being involved, and appreciating the people around you. Driver advised future nominees to talk to people, to be kind to everyone, and emphasized that relationships matter more than campaigning. This idea was echoed by fellow nominee AJ Imes who advised future nominees to appreciate the moment, to understand that this is not about being chosen, but about someone seeing something special in you. And for his part, Imes said he saw something special in all of his fellow nominees.
“The most meaningful part of this entire experience was simply being able to be a part of the great group of guys that were on the court,” Imes said. “There’s so many great things I could say about each of the guys on the court, so I’m truly blessed that I was able to be a part of that.”
