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
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Federal government bans watercraft from Manitoba lake popular with tourists
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.