‘It just kind of brings out the competitive nature in us’: Teams battle in Hoopfest 2025

Team Yes knows what it takes to come out on top.

The quartet plays a relentless, tough style of basketball on the court that wears down their opponent as the game goes on. According to Bennett Ashbaugh, their strategy is to set the tone early, playing to their opponent while remaining true to what they do best.

“Knock them in the face first,” he said with a smile, minutes after the squad cruised to a 20-9 win on Saturday afternoon, their second victory of the day. “You’ve got to set the tone first.”

Their play earned them a title in the adult competitive field two years ago, their first year playing in Hoopfest.

They came up just short in 2024 in their quest for a repeat, falling in the championship game, a defeat that was painful in more ways than one. Their play last year resulted in a torn Achilles for one of their teammates, ending his Hoopfest career, at least for this year.

Entering Hoopfest 2025, the 35th anniversary of the tournament, a player down, California resident Dillan Weerasinghe was called in to serve as a substitute on this year’s squad.

“It’s a lot more physical,” Weerasinghe said of the style of play. “And it just kind of brings out the competitive nature in us.”

Fully healthy and the winner of their first two games Saturday, the team enters Sunday with their title hopes alive, looking to come away with their second title in three years.

“We love basketball,” Weerasinghe said.

In addition to Weerasinghe and Ashbaugh, Michael Landis and Ryan Purugganan round out this year’s squad. All but Weerasinghe are from western Washington.

All four grew up playing the sport, and as adults, still try to play a couple of times a week, when possible.

But according to them, the energy of Hoopfest isn’t easily replicable in a Saturday morning pickup game.

“Everyone is here for Basketball. You go to a (YMCA), and the people are there just to work out or do something else,” Weerasinghe said. “But you can feel the energy of playing basketball here, and it’s fun.”

According to Purugganan, the competitive nature of Hoopfest also allows the team to play with the physicality that has proven to be successful.

“It’s the most physical form of basketball,” he said.

While their wear-you-down offense and tight defense are easy for spectators to spot, Team Yes also has something of a secret weapon in each of their trips to Hoopfest that’s a little harder to spot.

Across Spokane, many of the courts offer little protection from a relenting afternoon heat, forcing players to play under a sun that had little cloud protection on Saturday.

However, the court on the corner of Monroe Street and Sprague Avenue, where Team Yes has played each of their trips to Hoopfest, is shielded by buildings and tree-lined streets, something Landis pointed to as an advantage.

Another benefit of Hoopfest, Landis said, is the crowd of spectators who come to town to watch.

“The amount of people that are here. People love basketball, that’s why they’re here,” Landis said. “It’s just walking around, you feel basketball.”

“You get one person playing, and the whole family comes,” Ashbaugh said.