Kids compete in the 3-on-3 basketball tournament to raise money for the Kole Shewmaker Foundation Sunday at Columbus North High School.
Submitted photo
Columbus North senior Jackson Newman wanted to honor his former teammate and longtime friend.
For his senior project, Newman organized a 3×3 basketball tournament Sunday in memory of Kole Shewmaker, who tragically passed away from an auto accident before the start of basketball season last year.
The event had 50 teams and over 170 players, with the ages ranging from third-graders all the way through adults, and a few hundred in attendance to watch.
Jackson Newman poses for a photo at Sunday’s 3-on-3 basketball tournament to raise money for the Kole Shewmaker Foundation.
Submitted photo
Newman has known Shewmaker since they played together through Revolution, a Columbus North-based travel basketball team.
Shewmaker spent his freshman year at Trinity Lutheran before transferring to North his sophomore year. Newman mentioned that he and Shewmaker were weights partners, which drew them much closer together.
Newman said he paid a visit and offered condolences to the Shewmaker family following the accident.
“Me and a few of my friends after the accident went over to his house and spent time with his family, and obviously, they were in distress,” Newman said. “I prayed about it, and then I wanted to do something and help them out.”
Newman estimated about $23,000 was raised from donors and businesses for Sunday’s event, with all proceeds going to the Kole Shewmaker Foundation.
“It was a huge blessing,” said Kim Shewmaker, Kole’s mother. “We were honored, and the community as a whole has been so loving and caring through this whole ordeal, and they wowed us with their gifts of grace and thoughtfulness of honoring Kole and his legacy and things that he loved, which was basketball.”
Kim said the goal is to start planning a scholarship program in honor of the Kole Shewmaker Foundation.
Kim said there will be five scholarships given at $2,000 apiece. They will be awarded to a male and female athlete at North and one given to either a male or female athlete at Columbus Christian, Columbus Hawks Homeschool and Trinity Lutheran.
Kim added the recipient can be a student-athlete from any sport and not necessarily pertaining to basketball.
“Those were basketball programs that have touched Kole and helped him to become the great athlete that he was and great teammate that he was, and so we are returning the love back to those programs. We hope to do that for years to come,” Kim said. “They don’t necessarily have to play basketball. Also, they can be at a two-year, four-year or vocational school. We are looking for someone that has outstanding character and a great teammate, things we felt like Kole did while he was on teams.”
Players pose for a photo at Sunday’s 3-on-3 basketball tournament to raise money for the Kole Shewmaker Foundation. Jackson Newman, who organized the event for his senior project, is at front center, flanked by Shewmaker’s parents Brian and Kim.
Submitted photo
The event was a great way for Newman to honor his friend and teammate over the years, and he was was glad to see the community come together to honor the Shewmaker family.
“It’s really awesome to see everybody come together for that, and I know how happy it made his parents,” Newman said. “It really makes me happy to make them happy because they are going through a lot. It just helps knowing that people are there for them.”
