Hoopfest on the brain

Clint and Kara March have been playing basketball together since elementary school.

The Ione, Wash., siblings’ chemistry was apparent Saturday as they played – and won – their first two games during the 18th annual Hoopfest.

Kara March, 18, begrudgingly admits she learned a lot about the game from her brother, nicknamed “Tigger” for his leaping abilities.

“We were both basketball fans, and she wanted to learn, so I helped her out,” 19-year-old Clint March said. His feisty 5-foot-1 sister said the best element of the game “is being able to take out people bigger than me.”

This is the second year the Marches have played together at Hoopfest; Amber Enyeart and Nate Phillips round out the coed team.

More than 6,000 teams and about 23,000 players infused Spokane with fierce 3-on-3 basketball competitions and a passion for hoops. Sounds of dribbling basketballs, thumping rock beats and cheers from spectators echoed through downtown.

Playing with purpose

Team God’s Gang was on a mission Saturday as they prepared to take the basketball court.

Will Rhoades, a player on a team of homeless men, summed up what the team was about: Will Wilcox, Union Gospel Mission shelter and God

Wilcox, who inspired several homeless men to form a team last year for Hoopfest, drowned about three weeks after the 2006 tournament. But instead of letting the death destroy the team, the men used the tragedy to inspire them.

“It took lots of prayer, and I asked God for help,” Rhoades said. “I didn’t ask for a Mercedes, or nothing. I asked to be clean and sober. I asked to play ball again. And I asked to see my two boys again.

“And here I am,” said Rhoades, moments before God’s Gang’s first game. “I’ll see my sons in a couple weeks.”

Rhoades’ team lost their first game 20 to 8 but won their second game, 11 to 9.

Good day, great sales

With sunny skies, a slight breeze and temperatures in the mid-70s, many considered the weather perfect for the event touted as the world’s biggest 3-on-3 basketball tournament. And business-owners appeared pleased with the crowds that swarmed the downtown area to take part.

Vendors, whether selling food, sunglasses, beverages, temporary tattoos or haircuts, were kept busy.

Leland’s on Wall, a barbershop, was open during Hoopfest for the first time.

“And I think it’s going to go gangbusters,” said Chuck “The Barber” Momeny.

Spokane resident Frank Duffy stopped in with his 5-year-old son, Carson. Duffy said he’d planned to get his son a haircut but didn’t know if he could get it anywhere downtown. Carson sat patiently in the barber’s chair as his curly red locks were trimmed.

Boutique 238, a variety store, had a table of sunglasses for $10 each. The shop was bustling, so much that two salespeople sitting outside had lost track of how many shades they had sold.

For retail stores that weren’t as busy, employees had a chance to watch the games.

“Our clientele doesn’t want to come down here and buy a suit. It’s more fun out here,” said Roslyn Owens, on a break from Anderson & Emami in River Park Square Mall.

Young hoop dreams

Near one of the first-aid tents, 13-year-old Christian Waco waited to play his second game of the day. The Hayden boy said he liked to play basketball because it’s fun, and he’s good at it.

His father, John Waco, didn’t disagree with his son’s perception of his abilities.

Saturday was Christian’s first time participating in Hoopfest. The young man watched his cousin last year and told his mom he, too, could do it. When the 13-year-old was asked if he planned to return next year, he said, “Definitely.”

Avery Washington, 19, has been playing in Hoopfest since he was 10 years old, with the same friends.

The Ferris High School graduate said he likes the tournament because, “You can be competitive and when it’s over, everything’s cool. If you win, you win and if you lose, you lose.”

Medics stand ready

The five Premera Blue Cross first-aid tents treated minor injuries from dehydration to fractures. Types of injuries were updated every two hours and as the day wound down, about 600 people had been treated.And players were not the only people in need of first aid. One woman was knocked over by a crowd when she tried to cross the street.

“When you get so many people downtown, sometimes not everyone is courteous,” said Stefanie Bruno, captain of the first-aid tent just outside River Park Square Mall.

Bruno’s team treated the woman for large abrasions on her knees and feet.

She said they haven’t treated many cases of dehydration so far this year but expects more cases as the temperature rises.

The high temperature forecast for Sunday is 85 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Reuniting families

For the fourth year, the Academy of Little Bears Lost Child Center was the safe haven for wayward kids who lose their parents. Volunteers have parents and children fill out forms with their names to keep track of who goes in and out of the center.

Sgt. Sean Nemec comforted a teary eyed 7-year-old boy who walked ahead of his family and quickly got lost.

It usually doesn’t take long for parents to find their lost children, and parents are usually emotional when they are reunited.

“It worries us when parents don’t cry,” said Candace Kempe, a preschool teacher at Academy of Little Bears.