Street basketball tournament returns to Timmins
Basketball has returned to the streets of Timmins, with the ‘Blacktop 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament’ taking over part of the city’s downtown Saturday.
Back for the first time since pre-pandemic, dozens of players from around the region came together to compete for prizes and bragging rights.
Adam Presso, the event's organizer, said with the city's only outdoor basketball event returning for its 11th year, after two years away, he wanted to invite more ballers of all skill levels to compete.
"We have 28 teams this year, so it’s our biggest one yet and it’s just been a lot of fun,” said Presso, adding that more age groups were invited this year.
“We have age 10 to 12 division ... this is the youngest age division we’ve had yet. It’s nice to see the young people coming out.”
Teams of three put their skills and teamwork to the test, with many players appreciating being able to take on a variety of competitors outside a traditional indoor basketball court.
“It’s a different environment than we’re used to, especially in the off-season," said one player, fresh off a match with her fellow teammates.
"It gives us an opportunity to still work on our skills and work on our teamwork.”
There were over 80 players grouped in teams of three - each with a fierce or funny Team names, like the ‘High Flyers,’ the ‘Low Expectations’ or the ‘Blue Balls.’
Though some of the more than 80 basketball players felt they could have had better performances, Passo said the point is to have fun, improve your skills and come back next year to try again.
Some players just appreciated the social aspect of the event.
"With the two years that we had, it's fun to get out and see people," said one player, with his cousins, dubbing their team the ‘Blue Balls.’
Passo said he wants to keep growing the event and encourage more young people to develop their basketball skills and potentially follow in the footsteps of some of their favourite professional athletes.
"You kind of see the kids develop as the years go on," Passo said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.