HOOP IT UP : BACK ON THE COURT

Community

Aug 8

THERE’S NOTHING LIKE SITTING COURT SIDE AT A BASKETBALL GAME. THE THRILL OF SNEAKERS SQUEAKING, BASKETBALLS DRIBBLING, NETS SWISHING, AND CROWDS CHEERING.

On July 2nd, Hartford hosted the first leg of Hoop It Up, a national tour of 3x3 basketball tournaments also coming to Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia just to name a few. However, today’s tournament at Weaver High School’s Walter “Doc” Hurley Sr. Field House was something special. With the help of Active City, Hoopwave’s Dean Jones brought Hoop It Up back to the capital city after a 20-year hiatus.

“It’s personal,” Jones said of the event. “I’ve got guys who I played with when I was 12 years old that I haven’t seen in 20 years…it’s like a reunion.”

— Dean Jones

In 2020, Jones saw the opportunity to become a franchise owner of Hoop It Up and went for it, bringing a whopping 44 teams of players of all ages and abilities from across New England (and the Tri-State Area) to Hartford. “It’s nice to be a part of the process.”

Players range from amateur to pre-professional, but everyone’s number one goal is to have fun and it’s clear that participants come back year after year just as Jones did when he was younger. One of those players is Tony, a 38 year-old Lakers fan from New Jersey who owns a security company, has been participating in Hoop It Up for 15 years and has played basketball since he was 10 years old. Zahara, an incoming high school freshman from Massachusetts, has been playing since she was 8 years old. She plays both power forward and small forward, and loves the game because it gives her an outlet; an opportunity to just be herself on the court.

The rules are simple:

Three players per team + 1 sub
Half court
10 minute game or first to 21
12 second shot clock
No break after scoring
Fast-paced and fun

This format allows for large-scale events to take place in a limited amount of time, such as the one today, and there was certainly a sense of renewed energy in the Field House. Jones hopes to go even bigger next year, manifesting 200 teams. Hoop It Up is owned and operated by Kevin Garnett’s company, Big Ticket Sports.