Wilmette native nets a spot in Pop-A-Shot national championships

Like most great highlights, Brett Morse-Karzen’s most recent success wouldn’t have been possible without a great assist.

And credit for that goes to none other than Santa Claus.

If it weren’t for Jolly Ole St. Nick, Morse-Karzen may not be in the position he is today: a finalist in the Pop-A-Shot National Championship on Friday, Aug. 2, in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

One year in the 1990s, Morse-Karzen spent “way too much time” in his neighbor Steve Reich’s basement playing Pop-A-Shot. So much time that on Christmas morning, a Pop-A-Shot game appeared in his basement.

“I played way too much as a kid,” said Morse-Karzen, who grew up in Wilmette and graduated from New Trier High School. “I’d watch Bulls games and play during timeouts. … From age 8-15, I played all the time.”

Little did he know, 25 years later a friend would send him a link to a Pop-A-Shot competition in Chicago — part of Pop-A-Shot’s first national contest in 25 years.

The national finals will air live on ESPN The Ocho at 11 a.m. this Friday, Aug. 2.

Pop-A-Shot, out of Peoria, Illinois, is the most well-known, and purportedly the original, brand of arcade basketball. There are variations of the game, but in general, players get an allotment of time to shoot mini basketballs toward an elevated goal about 5 feet away. Most makes wins.

Tony Stucker, Pop-A-Shot’s owner, said “competitive play is part of Pop-A-Shot’s DNA” and more competitions are coming in 2025.

In the Chicago qualifier, Morse-Karzen actually did not win the overall competition, which included a general round and knockout round; however, he did tally the event’s highest point total of 114. His performance was enough to get him one of eight invites to the national finals.

“I had not played in years, but when my buddy sent me that link, I thought, ‘I gotta give it a shot,'” Morse-Karzen said. “It feels like a fun, little side quest in my life.”

Morse-Karzen played basketball growing up but gave it up before high school to focus on tennis. Hard to blame him: With doubles partner Yusuke Amamoto at New Trier, Morse-Karzen was a state runnerup in 2001, and the sport is his vocation to this day. He is a full-time tennis instructor at North Shore Racquet Club in Northbrook and continues to play in tournaments nationwide.

That being said, Morse-Karzen kept growing during high school and would have made an effective basketball player at his eventual height of 6 feet 10 inches. His height and 7-foot-3 wingspan have aided his Pop-A-Shot success.

Morse-Karzen said his Pop-A-Shot strategy is typically to use the backboard, but he adjusts based on the variables, such as inflation of the basketballs.

“My mantra is just to focus on one shot at a time and try to find a rhythm,” he said.

Since hearing of his national qualification, Morse-Karzen has been putting in the work at local arcades and even some of his students’ homes that feature a Pop-A-Shot style game.

Though it’s not all about physical skill. Morse-Karzen said Pop-A-Shot is a mental game, too, as players try to keep their pace and stroke for shot after shot over 40 seconds.

He said he doesn’t believe he will be the favorite at the national tournament, but anything can happen and he is in the mix.

“It’s awesome. It’s like my childhood dream finally being realized at age 41,” he said. “To be on The Ocho, it’s such a fun thing. It’s a fun experience and I’m going to enjoy it the best I can and try to leave it all on the court. I’m going to go after it.”

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