GARDEN CITY, Mich. – As a kid, a future in basketball was never really in the picture.
But Scott Setzke will tell you that it’s never too late to chase your hoop dreams, no matter how small they might seem.
“It’s surreal that this is all happening, it’s very surreal,” Setzke told Local 4.
When it comes to Pop-A-Shot, the mini-basketball arcade game, the Garden City resident is one of the top players in the country.
Setzke is one of eight finalists to make it to the Pop-A-Shot National Tournament later this summer.
“Found it on ESPN2, and was like I need to figure out how to qualify for this,” Setzke said.
Three months ago, the training began. Setzke turned his family garage into a small-scale gym to get ready for a regional qualifying tournament with the help of his wife, Kate.
“We went on Amazon and I just picked the machine that was closest to what he was playing on,” Kate Setzke said. “We’re like, taking dimensions and measuring. OK, we can get this.”
To prepare for a big tournament, it takes a lot of practice to find the perfect timing.
“I come out here and play four or five games, and an hour later I’m drenched in sweat,” Setzke said.
The first national qualifier in St. Louis did not go so well, finishing outside of the Top 10.
Setzke got another shot in Chicago, and that’s where Scott made the opportunity count. He finished #1 in the 200-person field.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” Setzke said of winning the national qualifier. “If I had lost my first two games and I was out, I was fine, but I didn’t.”
The game is simple enough: score as many points as you can in 55 seconds.
The execution can be tough.
Scott’s method is to shoot a ball with his right hand while simultaneously grabbing another ball with his left hand to be ready for the next shot.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve gone the first 40 seconds with only missing one shot,” Setzke said.
Winning a championship trophy would be nice, but that’s not the ultimate goal as he goes up against the best in the country.
“Show up, have some fun with the guys, and don’t finish last,” Scott said. “I hope there’s people out there that didn’t know about this, like I didn’t know about this, and then they come out and play.”
“I’ll probably never qualify again because more people are going to know, and it’s going to get tougher,” Setzke said with a laugh.
The Pop-A-Shot National Finals are in Orlando on Aug. 1. The event will be televised live on ESPN at 9 p.m.