This was previously published in our September 2025 issue.
Crowds gather around with lights blinding, watching in awe as Emmaus High School senior, Olive Whitney, plants her feet and sinks her first shot. Then, nine more. Out of 25 shots, Whitney makes 10 baskets—including one ‘money ball’ worth two points—and wins the
A’Town ThrowDown 3-point shooting contest with a score of 11.
Awesome! Fest is a basketball-centered tournament founded and hosted by Toomey Anderson. Through Awesome! Fest, A’Town ThrowDown is an annual outdoor tournament that takes place at Cedar Beach Park. Here, schools from around the area compete in various basketball competitions.
“It’s something I’ve been competing in since freshman year,” Whitney said. “It’s always just a fun way to get to know new teammates to start off the season.”
This year, however, was significantly more eventful for Whitney. She was personally invited by Anderson to take part in the 3-point shooting contest. For this event, athletes are each given 25 basketballs, five shooting positions, and 60 seconds to make as many baskets as
possible. Being on the Girls’ Varsity basketball team, Whitney was prepared for the challenge.
“I had my teammates on the sidelines cheering me on,” Whitney said with appreciation in her voice.
Whitney came home with a win as well as an endless amount of excitement
from her friends. However, it wasn’t just Whitney’s teammates who were cheering her on. John Dietrick, her assistant coach and former Photoshop teacher, was proud of her win, though somewhat unfazed.
“I’m not surprised. She puts a lot of time into everything she does,” Dietrick said. “She doesn’t go halfway with things. She really tries to excel.”
Dietrick enjoyed Whitney’s personality both on the court and in the classroom. Two coaches in particular, Christana Crivolla and Avon Mack, encouraged Whitney tremendously throughout her basketball career; especially during the contest.
“They both stayed through the night to watch the shooting contest,” Whitney
said. “They’re just really great coaches.”
Whitney feels the contest win, combined with her team’s win against Parkland earlier that day, made for a memorable day.
“Honestly,” Whitney said. “[It was] just super fun.”
Whitney doesn’t just excel during games and contests, however. She assures everyone on the team has the encouragement from her that she’s gotten from her coaches.
“It’s really important to me to include the underclassmen, [and] make everyone feel like a major part of the team,” Whitney said. “I take a lot of pride in being a leader that others can talk to and look up to.”
