Earn a chance to beat Craig Hodges in 3-point shooting

ROCKFORD - Former NBA champion and All-Star game 3-point champion Craig Hodges will be in town Sept. 29 to take on the best shooters Rockford has to offer.

TMIS is holding "The Purest of All" 3-Point Tournament on Sept. 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the UW Health Sports Factory, 305 S. Madison St., Rockford.

The cost is $10 to enter in one of two divisions. Those 18 and under will be shooting for trophies. Those 19 and over though are shooting for money. First place will win 30 percent of the entry proceeds, second place will win 15 percent and third place receives 5 percent.

The winner in each division will get a chance to shoot against Hodges, who played in the NBA from 1982 to 1992 for the San Diego Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls.

Hodges was a member of the 1990-1991 and 1991-1992 Bulls NBA championship teams. Hodges was renowned for his outside shooting. He took part in the first eight NBA All-Star Three Point Contests from 1986 to 1993. He finished second to Larry Bird in the first one, and won it in 1990, 1991 and 1992. He still holds the contest record for making 19 in a row in 1991.

TMIS is a business formed by Rockford's Tommy Meeks, an Auburn graduate who played football at Eastern Illinois and is now a community activist. The TMIS format actually grades how well you make shots.

The TMIS format gives you:

• 5 points for a perfect swish - the ball goes through the hoop without hitting the rim.
• 4 points for touching the rim.
• 3 points for two touches on the rim.
• 2 points for three touches on the rim.
• 1 point for four touches or a ball that circles the rim before going in.
• A miss is zero, of course, but so is a bank shot.

You can pick your shooting time by calling 815-218-2861 or signing up at the UW Health Sports Factory. An edited version of the contest will air on COMCAST  Channel 17.