The 2025 SOMA Basketball Spirit Night at Seton Hall was a tremendous success.
For the first time, the event was open to all local basketball organizations, bringing our community together in a truly unified way. With more than 500 tickets sold, local youth players had the unforgettable opportunity to take the court with the Lady Pirates and cheer them on in person.
All boys and girls ages 9 to 14 are invited to participate in the local level of competition of the annual Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship.
The local competition is being run by Regina Pacis Council No. 4066 and will be held on Friday, January 9, 2026 in Our Lady of Sorrows School gym located at 172 Academy Street, South Orange, NJ. Registration is between 6:30 pm – 7:00 pm, contest to follow. The event will continue till winners are determined in each age category. No cost to participate.
WHAT: Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship
WHO: Girls and Boys aged 9 to 14
WHEN: Friday, January 9 at 6:30 pm
WHERE: Our Lady of Sorrows School Gym, 172 Academy Street, South Orange
The Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship is sponsored annually, with winners progressing through local, district, and jurisdictional competitions.
International champions are announced by the Knights of Columbus international headquarters in New Haven, CT, based on scores from the jurisdiction-level competitions.
All boys and girls ages 9 to 14 are eligible to participate and will compete in their respective age divisions. Ages of contestants will be determined by their age as of January 1, 2026.
For any questions, please contact: Council4066@gmail.com.
Interested in learning more about youth basketball in SOMA?
The SOMA Basketball Boosters, in partnership with South Orange Recreation, Maplewood Recreation, the South Mountain YMCA, Columbia High School Athletics, and Ask Me About Girls Basketball, will be conducting three Information Sessions for parents of children interested in basketball in our towns.
The sessions will take place:
Tuesday September 9th @ 8pm (Virtually)
Thursday September 11th @ 8pm (Virtually)
Saturday September 13th @ 10am (In-Person in SOMA TBD)
Questions in advance? Reach out to us at somabasketballboosters@gmail.com
To be included, please register for information sessions here:
On Sunday, May 19, SOMA Basketball posted up at Maplewood’s Mayfest for our first-ever Scoops for Hoops.
Reps from a wide range of our local basketball programs—including SOMA Hoops, MAPSO Basketball, South Orange Rec, the YMCA, MAPSO Legends, and Columbia High School Basketball—gathered under the SOMA Basketball tents on Springfield Avenue to talk hoops with with veteran ballers and interested new families alike, helping them learn more about opportunities to play in South Orange and Maplewood.
The added bonus? Free Nona’s Homemade Ice Cream to drive the message home.If you missed us at Mayfest, SOMABasketball.org is your one-stop resource for all things basketball in our two towns (sorry, no ice cream available online). Special shout out to our volunteers, as well as our friends at Nona’s, the General Store, and Union Square Pretzels for being so generous with their resources, time and space. Nothing beats bringing basketball to the community we love!
On Sunday, April 6, faculty and staff from our 6 elementary schools—Delia Bolden, Clinton, Marshall, Seth Boyden, South Mountain, and Tuscan—faced off in an epic, all-day basketball tournament at Columbia High School to raise funds to support the elementary school PTAs. The sold-out event (don’t worry, we’re already looking into larger venues for next year!) was made possible by an army of volunteers from each school; a huge shoutout to everyone who made SOMA Swish such a success! Seeing such an enthusiastic turnout (over 2,200 tickets sold!), such wild school spirit, and such killer dance moves from every school mascot made SOMA Swish a huge win for us all. Next year’s rematch can’t come soon enough.
On Wednesday, January 29, a sea of over 120 SOMA Hoopsters in red jerseys filled the Columbia High School gym for our Boys Youth Night. While the Cougars may not have emerged victorious over Central High, it was an unforgettable evening for our kids, beaming with pride and team spirit. And thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, SOMA Basketball Boosters was able to make a contribution to the Boys CHS Basketball Program, which will go toward their end of year banquet. Win or lose, these kids are learning to lift each other up on and off the court, and make a positive impact on our community through basketball.