By Chad Koenen

Publisher

For a town synonymous with basketball, it seems almost like a forgone conclusion that a Henning resident should be at the center of a national basketball competition. However, for the first time in school history, a female competitor from Henning will be making an appearance at the national hoop shoot competition.

Stella Iliff, who is the daughter of James and Jessica Iliff of rural Henning, qualified for the national hoop shoot competition after winning the school, district, regional, state and multi-state hoop shoot contest. An eighth grade student at Henning School, Iliff made 21-25 free throws at the multi-state regional hoop shoot contest in Iowa City earlier this year. For Iliff, basketball has become a bit of a passion over the years as she competed for the Henning Hornets on varsity this past season as an eighth grader.

“It’s just kind of a hobby for me to do. Whenever I am board it’s what I do with my friends,” she said.

Iliff is the first person to qualify for the national hoop shoot competition from Henning since Easton Misegades took third place nationally in 2022 and his older brother Kale made back-to-back trips to the national contest in 2017 and 2018.

Last year Iliff won the school hoop shoot contest, but lost in the second round of the competition. She said she has spent quite a bit of time in the gym getting better at not only free throws, but her basketball skills in general. 

The Henning eighth grader said she will compete in the national hoop shot on April 26, which will be held in Chicago, Ill. at Wintrust Arena. The arena is the home of the Chicago Sky and DePaul Blue Demons. There will be 11 different girls from across the country competing in the national hoop shoot.

The family is planning to make the most of their time in Chicago as they are leaving on April 23 and will have the opportunity to attend a Chicago Cubs game with other people competing in the national hoop shoot. There will also be a variety of activities at the hotel to make the event even more special for the competitors.

“I am looking forward to being in the city, meeting new people and spending time with my family,” said Iliff.