Thirty basketball courts, several food trucks and vendors and hundreds of basketball players lined Colby and Wetmore avenues on July 13 and 14 to celebrate the 2024 Everett 3on3 basketball tournament.
The event’s inaugural year in 2022 featured 200 teams, divided into 29 divisions, and the second edition in 2023 brought in 248 teams, split into 31 divisions.
However, this year recorded the largest turnout: 277 teams spread into 34 divisions.
There were eight age categories: Youth (ages 8-9), Youth (ages 10-11), Youth (ages 12-13), Teen (ages 14-15), Teen (ages 16-17), Adult (ages 18+), Adult (ages 35+) and Elite (ages 18+).
Participants on champion and finalist teams in the youth, teen and adult divisions in every bracket received awards. Men and women on elite champion squads received $1,000 and finalists $500.
J.C. Mouthpiece Thompson, the all-in-one play-by-play, color and sideline commentator and comedian, controlled the mic at center court while the 3-point shot, slam dunk and skills challenges also entertained eventgoers.
Here are some other highlights from the weekend:
Former Seagulls return to the nest
The Everett boys basketball team had five alumni compete in the tournament.
Called “WeAreEverett,” the hometown team included Taras Fesiienko (Class of 2021), Hayden Conaxis (Class of 2023), Daniel Savovic (Class of 2023), Isaiah Parker (Class of 2023) and Isaiah White (Class of 2024).
White played on Saturday, and Parker rotated in on Sunday for the semifinal and championship games.
Fesiienko was already graduated in 2023 when Conaxis, Savovic, Parker and White helped earn Everett its first Class 3A state tournament berth since 2000, but the quintet returned to their old stomping grounds and placed second in one of the Adult 18+ Male divisions.
“Coach Bobby Thompson called me up when I was at my college towards the beginning of summer. He said: ‘I want you to participate with the guys. We got a squad.’ I said: ‘Why not, man. Might as well. Sounds like a fun thing,’” Savovic recalled. “It gets boring practicing by yourself, so I want some competition as well. … It was really good playing with the guys. These are all my boys at the end of the day. … What Hayden’s size brings, and Parker’s athleticism, it’s really fun to hoop with.”
WeAreEverett faced a team called “FAB,” which consisted of players such as Ryan Brown, an Arlington High School alumnus from 2020, and his friends from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
The FAB beat WeAreEverett 20-9 on Saturday, but it was a closer score on Sunday.
WeAreEverett trailed for much of the contest, staying within a few points. With a minor crowd disruption and confusion of the score late in the game, the throwback Seagulls squad couldn’t muster a win before the 25-minute clock hit zero, losing 18-17, but it was still a significant improvement.
“There’s a lot of people (Thompson) could have chosen, but he decided to choose us, and we just came out here and try to represent Everett as best as possible. So I feel like we did that,” Fesiienko said. “At the end of the day, you represent your community with how you compete. And so if you compete in a positive manner, and at the end of the day it’s all hugs and kisses, that’s what makes basketball fun. You can compete. You can go as hard as you want. But at the end of the day, nobody’s going at each other.
“The younger me probably would have been more frustrated (with the end result),” he continued. “Obviously it sucks to lose, but it’s fun just being around people that you know and walking around, seeing people, high fiving them. And so it’s more about being in the environment rather than just playing.”
Local athletes serving the game a different way
Everett’s Shukurani Ndayiraglje and Sultan’s Toby Trichler took part in the 3-on-3 action not as players but rather referees.
Ndayiraglje, who graduated this June, has played basketball for the Seagulls since his freshman year and was listed on the varsity squad this past season. But Ndayiraglje’s talents are more well-known at track and field meets in the high, long and triple jump events. He placed first in leagues and districts in all three events and first at state in the high jump and second in the long and triple jumps.
Trichler, who also graduated this June, has played for the Turks since his freshman year. The son of former Sultan coach Nate and the twin brother of Eli, Trichler was a multiple All-League selection, a member of the 1,000-point club and a key role in helping his team earn its first Class 1A state tournament berth since 2009.
Slam Dunk
A fan-favorite from 2023 and returning for his second year, Brandon “HighRize” Ruffin claimed back-to-back titles in the slam dunk contest.
Here are two videos of other participants during the amateur session.
Just a few of the slams we saw get thrown down during the 3rd annual Everett 3on3 tournament over the weekend 🏀 pic.twitter.com/c1rdIhKIF7
— Herald Preps Sports (@HeraldNetPreps) July 15, 2024
Everett 3on3 champions
Below is a list of every champion from each division. Team names are in parentheses.
B_Elite 18+ Female (Bucket Getters)
B01_Youth 12-13 Female (LH Court Crushers)
B02_Youth 12-13 Female (Tipped Off)
B03_Youth 10-11 Male (Seattle Select Fifth)
B04_Youth 10-11 Male (Blue Jays)
B05_ Youth 10-11 Male (MakSportsMD)
B06_Youth 10-11 Female (ACES)
B07-1_Youth 8-9 Female (Poppin Bobas)
B07-2_Youth 8-9 Male (Legends)
B08_Youth 8-9 Male (Second Snipers)
B09_Youth 8-9 Male (BUZZ CITY)
B10_Youth 10-11 Female (Swish)
B11_Youth 10-11 Female (WBA Hoops)
B12_Adult 18+ Co-ed (LA Fitness Finest)
B13_Adult 18+ Male (Phantoms)
B14_Adult 18+ Male (PCF)
B15_Adult 18+ Male (Blue collar buckets)
B16_Adult 18+ Male (Giddey Elite)
B17_Adult 18+ Male (Terror dome)
B18-1_Elite 18+ Male (Big Bs Bakery)
B18-2_Special Olympics Male (Everett Huskies)
B19-1_Teen 14-15 Female (pink elite stars)
B19-2_Teen 14-15 Male (Lake Hoopz)
B20_Youth 12-13 Female (Sound Hoops)
B21_Youth 12-13 Male (MakSports)
B22_Youth 12-13 Male (WE greater than ME)
B23_Youth 12-13 Male (Triple Threat)
B24_Youth 12-13 Male (JILS)
B25_Teen 16-17 Male (Double stuffed Oreos)
B26_Teen 14-15 Male (Lil Rippers)
B27_Teen 14-15 Male (GBB Get Bucket Boyz)
B28_Adult 35+ Male (Well Over Da Hill)
B29-1_Adult 18+ Male (FAB)
B29-2_Adult 35 + Male (Hapabreed)
Herald sports writer Evan Wiederspohn contributed to this article.
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