The kids and coaches all love the three-on-three basketball tournament that is a unique part of the BC Summer Games.
"It's great. It's more intense than five-on-five, and you have to be fast," said Keenan Macpherson of the Vancouver Island-Central Coast team. "You have to make good decisions quickly."
Under the format, which is more like a street game found under a single basket in a cul de sac, players play a half-court game. When the ball gets turned over, the defenders just have to take it back out past the freethrow line, and then they can go on offence.
The lightning quick transition from defence to being on the attack makes it unique, as do the short 25-minute games.
At the 2024 tournament, the Vancouver Island teams come in as favourites. Coach Cam Loveless guided the Zone 6 teams to gold and bronze medals at the last Games in Prince George, and he's back with his 13-year-old son Kruger for another shot at the podium – adding the proviso "the main thing is that they have fun."
His kids are indeed having fun and winning, as the two Zone 6 teams were a combined 5-0 through Friday afternoon action.
"We always feel we've got something to prove when we come to the Mainland," said Loveless. "The thing for us is to try to repeat as champs."
They appear to have a great shot at playing for a medal, and the gold medal game is set for 10:10 a.m. on Sunday at the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre.
Macpherson said he's liking the basketball, but also the atmosphere of the Games in general. The three-on-three basketball kids are all going into Grade 7 and 8, and the Games are a unique road trip for the young athletes
"There's a lot of people involved, and it's really fun," he said.
The 2024 BC Summer Games are being held between Wednesday and Sunday, July 17 to 21, in Maple Ridge. This is the third time in the Games history that Maple Ridge has been the host. This week, an estimated 2,400 athletes (average age is 14 to 15), plus some 500 coaches and officials are here for the competitions being held at sports venues throughout the community and region.
