🏀 March Madness Took Over Kuna at NUCA Southern Idaho’s First Annual Pop-a-Shot Tournament! 🏀

March Madness came to Crooked 8 Event Center on March 18th as NUCA Southern Idaho hosted its First Annual Pop-a-Shot Hoop Shoot Tournament—and what a night it was!

We were thrilled to once again host another fantastic event at Crooked 8, where more than 30 participants came ready to compete, connect, and put their shooting skills to the test. From the first basket to the final showdown, the night was filled with fierce competition, laughs, cheers, a little friendly trash talk, and plenty of networking among members and industry partners.

Of course, no tournament is complete without some awesome prizes—and our sponsors absolutely brought their A-game! 🏀🔥 A huge shoutout to our prize sponsors for putting together some seriously fun giveaway packages that had everyone hoping they would make the cut. From the Backyard Bash Prize Pack designed to turn your patio into the ultimate hangout spot, to the Chill & Sip Prize Pack featuring the Titan Insulated Bottle Tote to level up your wine game, there was something everyone wanted to take home. These prizes perfectly matched the fun, competitive spirit of the tournament and showed just how much our sponsors continue to show up big for our members and events!

Thank you prize sponsors:

• Swiss Re Corporate Solutions

• Travelers Insurance

• USI

We also want to give a major shout out to our Presidential Sponsor, L2 Excavation, along with our food and beverage sponsors:

• H&E Advisors

• Coastline Equipment

• IQ Construct NW

These events simply would not make it to the championship round without the incredible support of our superstar sponsors! Their generosity continues to be a slam dunk for our membership, helping us bring people together for fun, networking, and unforgettable events like this one.

From tip-off to the final buzzer, their commitment to our industry and association helps create opportunities for connection, collaboration, and community among our members. We are truly grateful for their continued partnership and for always stepping up big when called off the bench.

As the brackets tightened and the pressure mounted, competitors battled it out for bragging rights, leaderboard glory, and ultimate Pop-a-Shot supremacy. The gym vibes were high, the trash talk got louder, and more than a few contestants suddenly started claiming they “used to be pretty good back in the day.” 🏀🔥

With every swish, buzzer beater, and near airball, the crowd erupted in cheers and jeers as players fought to survive and advance through the madness. But when the final buzzer sounded and the dust finally settled, a few sharp shooters rose above the rest and earned their place in the winner’s circle:

🥇 1st Place: Chris Kobar🥈 2nd Place: Mike Maloney — a repeat winner after also taking home 2nd place at January’s Poker Tournament!🥉 3rd Place: Eric Bird

Rounding out the winners bracket were: 🏀 Bryce Morrison (4th)🏀 Gene Nowlan (5th)🏀 Nick Popma (6th)

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All in all, our first annual tournament was an absolute slam dunk and another great reminder of what makes NUCA Southern Idaho such an awesome team to be part of. Between the buzzer beaters, bracket-worthy competition, networking, laughs, and plenty of friendly trash talk, the night was a championship-level success! The camaraderie was strong, the competition was fierce, and while only a few could make the winners bracket, everyone walked away with great memories and stronger industry connections.

We’re already looking forward to next year’s rematch, so keep those shooting arms warmed up and your game faces ready—NUCA's Pop-a-Shot Hoop shoot Round 2 is coming in March 2027! ⛹️‍♂️🏆