The featured speaker for next week’s awards banquet of the Lions All-Stars Basketball Classic is no stranger to the basketball court or to the Lions organization. Cori Elms graduated from Cameron High School in 1993 and that same year, she was selected to play in the Lions All-Star Basketball Classic. She not only played in that game, but her two free throws were the deciding factor in her team’s victory.

Cori continued her education and graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 1997. Not finished learning, she headed north and received a second degree from Old Dominion University in 1999.

She began her thirteen year coaching career at Maysville High School as an Assistant Coach for varsity and middle school. Her head coaching career began at Buchanan County High School in DeKalb, Missouri. Under her guidance at Buchanan County, her teams set a 176-75 record that included five Conference championships, four District championships, two Sectional championships, two Quarterfinal championships, a third place finish in 2004-05 and the state title in 2005-06. She has spent the last two years coaching the Lady Bulldogs at East Buchanan High School in Gower.

Cori returned to the Lions All-Star Basketball Classic in 2006 as an Assistant Coach and again in 2007 as a Head Coach. She also coached the Missouri Hall of Fame Game in 2006 and the Missouri Challenge in 2011. She was named the St. Joseph News Press Coach of the Year in 2005 and the Missouri Girls Basketball Coach of the Year in 2006.

Cori and her husband David reside in Gower, Missouri with their 2-year old son, Reed.

The Lions All-Star Banquet will be held on Friday evening, June 1 at the Ketcham Community Center of North Central Missouri College in Trenton. The 6:30 banquet will be a part of a two-day event featuring over 95 stand-out high school athletes from throughout north Missouri. Banquet tickets are available at $15.00 each and may be purchased at the door or by contacting Chuck Tripp at 8756 SW Hickory Road in Stewartsville, Missouri.