Another Shot At National Championship Awaits For North Jersey Free Throw Phenom

WAYNE, NJ — A 9-year-old basketball player from Wayne has again earned his place among the best young free throw shooters in the country, and will represent New Jersey at the national level next month.

Dylan Bogdanski, a fourth-grader at Theunis Dey Elementary, is headed to the Elks National Hoop Shoot championships in Chicago for the second year in a row. This free throw competition is for boys and girls ages 8 to 13, and has been going on for more than 50 years.

Dylan advanced through the local, district, and state competitions (where he shot a perfect 25 out of 25) before reaching last weekend's regional contest in Wilkes-Barre. There, he made 24 out of 25 shots, outscoring his competitors from New York and Pennsylvania. He went 10 of 10 in the first round, and missed his seventh shot in the second round.

The other competitors in the 8- and 9-year-old boys' group went 22 for 25 and 21 for 25.

"I shot second, so I knew that I only had to make 13 of 15 in the second round to win," Dylan told Patch.

He met some of the other competitors at regionals, including Armante Ventiquattro of New York, who won the Elks Hoop Shoot national championship when he was Dylan's age.

"(Armante) is 11 now and is also going back to the national championship for a second time," Dylan said.

Dylan, a multi-sport athlete, plays travel basketball on the Wayne Police Athletic League fourth-grade team; they recently wrapped up their schedule.

"It was a great season for our team," he added, noting that they unfortunately lost a close championship game to Wyckoff in the North Jersey Junior Basketball League. Their squad did win the Clark Tournament Championship earlier this month.

His fellow players, who have been rooting him on, were "very excited" to hear that he won the regional, Dylan said. He's grateful to be part of the Wayne PAL program, which he said "helped me become the basketball player I am today. "

He is representing Cedar Grove Elks Lodge #2237, and also thanked them for the support they've given him. Dylan also expressed gratitude to his friends and family, and to the national Elks organization for organizing the Hoop Shoot.

"I am excited for the national championship," he said.

This final stage of the Hoop Shoot competition features 72 competitors from 12 different regions, all headed to Chicago to take their shot(s) from April 24 through the 27. It's held at Wintrust Arena, home of the WNBA team Chicago Sky and DePaul University's Blue Demons.

Last year, Dylan made 19 of his 25 shots and placed six of 12 competitors. That wasn't the result he was hoping for. This year, he it will be nice to go in to the competition knowing what to expect. He's looking forward to meeting the other finalists, to seeing a Chicago Cubs game, and to getting his own Hoop Shoot trading card.

"Just like last year, all the finalists are great shooters, but I do feel more confident and excited knowing that I have done this before," he said.

Earlier coverage: Wayne Boy Wins Back-To-Back State Championships In Free Throw Competition