Hoopsters invade track for inaugural EMD 3-On-3 Hoops tourney Aug. 10-11
Published 2:55 pm Wednesday, August 7, 2013
The first tip-off of the Emerald Downs 3-On-3 hoops tournament isn’t until Saturday, but already organizers are calling the inaugural event a rousing success.
“We’ve got 262 teams from all over the state signed up, playing on 29 courts,” said event coordinator Bob Fraser. “We’ve got teams from as far south as Portland, as far north as Mount Vernon, as far east as Yakima and from Aberdeen in the west. It’s a far-reaching event, and it’s already exceeded our expectations. We’re ecstatic with the response.”
On Saturday and Sunday more than 1,000 players will hit the half-courts courts assembled in the parking lot directly north of the track’s grandstand, where teams will vy for championships in 29 divisions.
In addition to two days of basketball, spectators may enjoy live entertainment, sample food from local food trucks and enjoy a cold one at the event’s beer garden.
All this was made possible by local businesses, including sponsors such as Regence Health Care, Doxon Toyota, Olympic Eagle Distributing, Les Schwab, the City of Auburn and the Auburn Tourist Board, as well as Sterling Athletics – who provided the game balls for the tourney.
“The idea was to bring the community together and grow this,” Fraser said. “All of the baskets are made locally by Miller Fabrication, which designed and built them. Each court is sponsored by a business. And Mark Doxon, of Doxon Toyota, will donate $10,000 to the Auburn Valley YMCA. A donation will also be made by the tourney to the Aaron Brooks foundation.”
Both days kick off with a breakfast featuring all-you-can eat pancakes for just $5, sponsored by the Auburn Rotary.
The top-five teams in each bracket on Saturday move on to Sunday’s competition.
“It’s going to be quite an event, we’re very excited about this,” Fraser said. “Our goal is to make this grow into something special, and we’ve got a great start right now.”
For more information, visit www.emd3on3.com
