3 on 3 tournament, in 5th year, reaches nearly 200 teams By MIKE KEMMETER of The Gazette The CenterPoint Marketplace 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament just celebrated its fifth anniversary with a new site and a record number of teams. The two-day outdoor tournament, held last Saturday and Sunday, drew 196 teams, 20 more than last year and many hoopsters left satisfied. "It was run very well. Everything ran smoothly. I was really impressed," said Nate Olson of Stevens Point, who was on the Shockers, the champions in the male 15-16 division. "It was a lot of fun. It looked like everybody was having fun." With the number of teams increasing over the years - there were 20 more this year than a year ago - the competition has improved too. "It's definitely gotten a lot more competitive. It used to be just the kids in Point," Ryan Taggatz of Stevens Point, a member of the Shockers, said. "Now a lot of kids in the (Wisconsin) Valley (Conference) come." "It was actually pretty competitive for a smaller town," said Taggatz, who plays in the Gus Macker tournament in Wausau and tournaments in bigger cities. The site change also drew rave reviews from players. The tournament was held in the mall's parking lot the first four years but was moved to a city parking lot just west of JCPenney. "At first, I didn't know why they moved it," said Steph Karaliunas, who played at SPASH last year. "But it worked out really well. People got to watch a lot more and it wasn't so crowded." Rob Rassmussen, CenterPoint MarketPlace manager, hopes to keep the tournament at its current spot. "The initial reaction overall has been favorable. The overall setting of the riverfront, almost all of the aspects are perfect," he said. "Bank One was generous working with us in this first year trial and the initial feedback in that coordination was very positive. "The condition of that parking lot is much more conducive to a basketball surface," he said. Joe Zuiker, who co-directed the tournament with Eva McGillivray, said the number of teams is reaching the maximum. "We could probably handle 225. It depends on what age groups the teams are in," he said. "Except for the early morning Saturday rush when we get everything going, it runs pretty smooth. We were happy with the way it turned out. Every year we learn something new to make it run smoother." Rassmussen said the tournament, which benefits local athletics, has come a long way since its inception. "This event started five years ago with help from George Seyfarth and Jay Krcmar. With their initial vision, to have doubled the amount of teams and survived the start-up phase is very exciting and says a lot about the beneficiaries." Teams are already looking forward to the sixth annual tournament. "It gets more fun every year, for me," Jake Jahnke, a member of the Shockers, said. "It's a great tournament and I plan on being in it the next couple of years. I like the way that they run it." * * * TOURNAMENT CHAMPS: Several teams with local players won their respective divisions. Male Top Dawgz: River City Diner - Jay Bennett, James Wreath, Nick DeVos and Ben Benesh, all of Stevens Point. Male Mad Dawgz: Team Williams - Bryon Williams of Stevens Point, Bruce Williams of Wild Rose, Bret Williams of Madison and Trenton Towne of Waupaca. Male 15-16: Shockers - Ryan Taggatz of Stevens Point, Eric Hoffman of Plover, Jake Jahnke of Stevens Point and Nate Olson of Stevens Point. Male 10 & Under: 39 years of Pure Skill - Andy Rosicky of Stevens Point, Kyle Christensen of Stevens Point, Mitch Sutton of Plover and Jase Hintz of Stevens Point. Female Top Dawgz: Rudy's - Melissa Schweitzer of Amherst, Kristin Steckmesser of Two Rivers, Laura Steckmesser of Two Rivers and Amanda Dickerson of Marquette. A complete list of champions is in a CenterPoint MarketPlace advertisement, on page 20.