3-on-3 basketball tournament coming to Everett this July

EVERETT — Get ready for Hoopfest west.

The game played by notable trios Jordan, Pippen and Rodman; Kemp, Payton and Schrempf; and Bird, Loyd and Stewart will take over downtown Everett this July during the Everett 3on3 Basketball Tournament.

Nearly 75 basketball courts will be created downtown July 9 and 10, rain or shine, the city of Everett announced in a news release. They’ll cover Colby Avenue between Pacific Avenue and 26th Street, and Wetmore Avenue between 26th Street and Hewitt Avenue.

Organizers also have a slam-dunk contest, a three-point contest, a skills contest, entertainment, food trucks and other vendors.

“It’s awesome,” said Everett High School boys basketball coach Bobby Thompson. “I think as someone who’s played in Hoopfest for several years and saw the impact it had on Spokane and their basketball and community, it’s a big boon for our community.”

Eventuris, which puts on similar events in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix, is running the tournament. Rick Steltenpohl helped start Hoopfest in Spokane and Aaron Magner was its operations manager before they founded Eventuris.

Hoopfest in Spokane is internationally renowned as the world’s largest outdoor three-on-three tournament. Downtown Spokane’s streets are transformed into hundreds of basketball courts each June, with thousands of players flocking to the event.

Now Magner and Steltenpohl are bringing the concept to Everett.

Organizers are hoping around 400 teams register for the first year, Steltenpohl said. The Portland tournament Eventuris puts on draws about 600 teams.

“We loved the idea of being downtown on the streets,” he said. “We think of it as a great, big playground.”

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said the tournament is a tourism and entertainment draw to downtown.

Thompson has played and organized smaller past tournaments in Everett. None of them still exists.

Everett has a good mix of walkability, restaurants and places to stay, he said.

Steltenpohl and Magner’s experience can capture the area’s interest and create a roundball culture similar to Spokane’s, Thompson said.

Everett’s bracket-based tournament will have five age-based youth divisions, three for adults and one for wheelchair users.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Snohomish County will sponsor the youth play to encourage outdoor social activity after the isolation of the pandemic, sports coordinator Robert Cannon said.

“Three-on-three is just such a fun activity for the kids to play,” he said. “It doesn’t come with the strings of a formal basketball game.”

Players 18 and older can compete in an elite division. The winning men’s and women’s teams each get $1,000, and the runner-up gets $500.

The other divisions’ winners and finalists get awards.

Steltenpohl said the tournament is for people of all skills, even ones that don’t pay the bills.

“We get family teams,” he said. “We have old high school teammates come out. We have dudes who touch a basketball twice a year but want to be out playing. … For it to be lasting and successful and truly engaging for the city, it’s not just for the serious basketball player.”

The tournaments start with pool play on the first day. Teams then advance to a seeded single-elimination playoff bracket on the second day. Every team gets at least three games.

Registration costs between $140 for teams with players between 8 and 13 years old, and $210 for elite division teams. The team fees, which are not refundable, increase $30 on June 20. The first 50 teams to use the code “HOOPS20” get $20 off.

There is no fee for teams in the wheelchair division.

Around 200 volunteers are needed to set up and take down courts and keep score, among other tasks. They can sign up and learn more at everett3on3.net/volunteer.

Spectators can enjoy the games and other entertainment for free.

Herald writer Nick Patterson contributed to this report.

Ben Watanabe: bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3037; Twitter @benwatanabe.