Basketball hoops stand outside the Capitol on Tuesday, July 30. Streets will be closed during the weekend 3-on-3 tournament Hoopla. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter)
Hoopla, the state’s largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament, is back this week and expected to bring thousands of people to the Capitol Mall, where some streets are shut down for the event.
The four-day tournament is one of the largest in the United States, second only to Spokane’s Hoopfest.
What started as a fundraiser for a local youth organization in 1999 has grown to include more than 1,000 teams this year.
Tournament Director Jason Unruh gets to the event around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday and said by 7:30 a.m. there are thousands of people in all directions.
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He said his favorite time is on Sunday when a lot of the main division championship games are going from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“There’s just a lot of competitiveness and action going on,” he said.
Unruh said rivalries have built up over the years, but the event’s core is positive in its ability to bring different races and demographics together for a fun event.
The opening ceremonies start at 7:45 a.m. Saturday and events run until 6 p.m.
Unruh said the meat of the event – the 3-on-3 games – have stayed the same, but “even 21 years into it we’re always tweaking things to try and make them better.”
He said the event isn’t just for basketball fanatics, it’s also for casual players.
“We have something for everybody and all ages,” Unruh said.
People take pride in how they name their team, Unruh said. He said one girls’ team is called “Kawhi Me a River,” named after Los Angeles Clippers swingman Kawhi Leonard.
After 21 years of being on the frontlines of Hoopla, Unruh said it tugs at his heart strings.
“I hope I don’t cry. I actually got on site today and I got tears in my eyes,” he said. “When you add years and you add history it just means more and more and more to you. You see those little kids playing that weren’t even born when we started the event and they look forward to it all year long.”
The event starts on Thursday with a tip-off party at 6 p.m. 900 Court St. N.E.
Have a tip? Contact reporter Saphara Harrell at 503-549-6250, [email protected] or @daisysaphara.
