Lawrence junior is this year’s Big Time Hoops Slam Dunk Contest champion

PHOTO: Noah Lambert in action. YouTube screen image)

By Mark Huard

FAIRFIELD — Noah Lambert, a 6-foot-1 junior at Lawrence High School, says he is passionate about the game of basketball and loves to play, work out and practice two to four hours a day or more. That dedication to the sport likely contributed to his winning the inaugural Big Time Hoops 3-Point Shootout & Slam Dunk Contest held during the NBA All-Star weekend.
Former basketball standout Tom Bard, originally from Fort Kent, conceived the idea for a special competition. With post season all-star games and festivities canceledmm Bard wanted to put something together for the kids allowing them to showcase their skills. With so many activities carried out virtually over the last year, Bard decided he would coordinate a virtual “Three-Point & Dunk Contest.”

Bard played basketball at and graduated from Fort Kent Community High School, continuing to play at University of Maine Fort Kent. For the last five years, however, he felt he had fallen out of touch with the high school basketball scene in Maine except for the occasional visit to watch a tournament game or two. His goal was to find a way to reconnect with and contribute to the growth of basketball in the state. In late 2017, Bard began a podcast and Instagram page called Big Time Sports; he covered the local high school sports scene for schools in and near the St. John Valley. He initially interviewed a lot of the legends from the area, but after a couple years tapped out that market and wasn’t seeing much more room for growth.
“One area you hear a lot about is that the state is lacking in comparison to a lot of the surrounding states, that there is lack of exposure and opportunities,” he said, adding, “I’m just trying to give anyone and everyone an opportunity to be seen. NBA All Star Weekend was creeping up, which is one of my favorite weekends all year, and I just thought why not do something like that for Maine?”
Using social media, Bard asked his page followers for recommendations; he then sent out invitations based on that input. The student athletes selected to participate recorded the shots and dunks at their home gyms, then submitted them to Bard when completed.
“Once I had everyone’s videos, I edited and packaged it as the ‘Big Time Hoops 3 Point Shootout and Dunk Contests’ and put it up on YouTube,” he said. “Fans voted on who they thought won the Dunk Contest, and Noah Lambert was crowned champ.”
To see Lambert in action, click here.