Despite Spreading Its Wings, Hoopfest Appears Far Better Not Many Players Or Spectators Find Fault With Expanded Format

As Hoopfest continues its remarkable growth, organizers have started to worry about some of the tentacles their 8-year-old monster is sprouting.

To accommodate more than 4,500 teams and nearly 18,000 competitors who entered this year’s 3-on-3 street basketball tournament, Hoopfest officials erected playing courts across nearly 30 blocks of the downtown area. One arm stretched across the Post Street Bridge and down the short stretch of Bridge Avenue that connects with Monroe. Another, originating on Main Avenue, extended across Bernard to Brown.

The expansion is a testimonial to the rapidly increasing popularity of the event. But it has Hoopfest’s executive director Rick Steltenpohl wondering if competitors on those courts so far removed from the tournament’s core might be missing the true flavor of the event.

A quick check Sunday with players banished to the far ends of Hoopfest’s universe suggested Steltenpohl’s concerns are unfounded.

“The only thing we’re missing is calories, because we’re not right next to the food court,” said Pete Day, whose Donahue’s Sports Bar team was preparing for a semifinal game at the west end of Bridge Street.

“Plus, it’s great access. We can park right over there,” Day added, nodding across Monroe toward a parking lot next to a vacant tavern.

“It’s actually kind of nice not being so crowded,” said team captain Scott Gates. “You get more air over here, because you’re not all bunched together. And we don’t miss all the people pushing and bumping into each other, or the balls bouncing into our court.”

James Kapptie, another member of the recreational 18-24 team, said traversing the narrow walkways across the bridge “is a real pain.

“But it still feels like Hoopfest,” he added.

At the other extreme, parents were watching their 15-year-old sons play near the intersection of Riverside and Bernard.

They didn’t seem to have any problem with being so far from Hoopfest’s hub, either.

“I like it here,” said Brian Hulvey, whose son, Giovanni, played for The Soaring Sophomores. “It’s more isolated. You get to hear the other family hollering instead of the whole crowd.

Hulvey said that being so far removed from downtown also gave him a chance to run home between games and do yard work.

“It’s an easy in and out from here,” he said as traffic whizzed past on Bernard.

Colleen Lee, whose son, Jerod, played on the same court for Seamen, wasn’t quite as enthused about the location. Her daughter, Brittany, was playing on the other side of Riverfront Park.

“So they’ve been about as far apart as the can be,” said Lee, a Wallace, Idaho, resident. “I’ll bet we walked 15 miles yesterday, but that’s O.K. It’s still been like one big party. We’ve had a blast.”

Steltenpohl, who was sitting in the announcer’s stand next to Nike Center Court resting the knee he had injured during an early morning game, seemed pleased by the positive feedback.

“That’s great,” he said. “Our goal is to make Hoopfest a good experience for everyone. We wrestle every year with the quality of the event versus the quantity of competitors.

“We turned some teams away, but we thought we might still be too stretched out.”

Steltenpohl said the tournament’s board of directors is constantly looking at ways to accommodate more competitors. He said the board might eventually consider opening courts on the other side of Riverfront Park.

“But even that’s a little bit of a stretch for me,” Steltenpohl admitted, “because I love being able to look out and see everything. And I want it all to be connected.”

Sunday’s final day of Hoopfest ‘97 unfolded under clouded skies and unseasonably cool temperatures that forced a dramatic change in the apparel of choice for most spectators. Instead of the shorts and tank tops that were so popular Saturday, most opted for long pants and hooded sweatshirts. Some even wore stocking caps.

The weather did little to cool the tempers of some competitors, however. Once again, several fights were reported, including one that broke out on Center Court during a losers bracket game in the men’s 6-foot and under Open Division.

Steltenpohl witnessed the altercation, which started after two players who had been getting overly physical, crashed into the basket support. Several police officers quickly intervened to help restore order.

“The two refs were right on it,” Steltenpohl said, “but they didn’t have the (police) support right away and they couldn’t control all eight players at once.”

Hoopfest officials declared a double forfeit and neither team was allowed to advance.

“One thing we wanted to do this year was put a little more teeth into the rules,” Steltenpohl said. “We’re not trigger-happy or anything, but you get the point where you get tired of those antics. I’m a softy, so I look at those two teams and think, ‘Man, it’s a bummer. They just want to play and they lost their cool.’

“But they went a step too far, so I applaud the refs for having the courage to keep the big picture in mind. We’ve made an intentional effort this year to stop inappropriate behavior.”

Still, Steltenpohl said he thought the vast majority of competitors were well behaved.

“We’ll play close to 10,000 games before this thing is over,” he explained. “You’re bound to have incidents when you have that many games, but we really haven’t seen that many.

“It’s unfortunate this one happened, but what I saw afterwards was that they both shook hands. Hopefully, they both felt, ‘We blew it, we embarrassed ourselves and we’re sorry that happened.’

“I think they did, and we appreciate that attitude.”

Steltenpohl said he and other Hoopfest officials will sit down soon to critique this year’s event and discuss ways to improve it in the future.

“Because next year, more people are going to compete,” he said. “And no matter how big Hoopfest gets, it’s going to get better.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 9 Color Photos