Hoops on the River: 10 years of nothing but net

For a whole decade now, Esther Short Park has endured an annual August invasion by a certain species of rabid animal. The creature is known for its height and its reach, its dribble and its dunk — and of course its colorful shorts, socks and shoes.

This weekend will be an excellent time to view the Pacific Northwest hoopster. Approximately 1,000 examples of this robustly healthy and distinctly nonthreatened species are expected to lace up sneakers, form up teams of three and take to the streets bordering downtown Vancouver’s Esther Short Park.

The massive festival of 3-on-3 street basketball known as Hoops on the River is celebrating its 10th anniversary, “which is a pretty special occasion for us,” organizer Eric Anderson said. Anderson said he is eager to make sure Hoops on the River is just as thrilling for the many thousands of fans and spectators who turn out every year as for the players themselves.

“We try really hard to make this fun and exciting for everyone,” he said.

The basketball extravaganza gets going the evening of Aug. 19 with a free kids’ clinic in partnership with Shoot 360, a basketball training facility in east Vancouver. The staff is made up of “very technically trained basketball players who will work with the kids on some cool skills and drills,” Anderson said. The clinic will be split into two hourlong sessions for younger and then older kids; children entering grades 1-3 can participate from 5 to 6 p.m., and those entering grades 4-6 from 6 to 7 p.m. All will get a free slice of pizza from event sponsor Papa Murphy’s. Blaze, the Portland Trailblazers mascot, will be on hand from 5 to 6 p.m., too.

After that, the second annual “King of the Court” invitational showcase gets underway. From 7:30 to 9 p.m., get ready to see some of the area’s premiere adult players battling it out under bright lights. “It should be some really excellent one-on-one basketball for bragging rights,” said Anderson.

Speaking of bragging rights, another special event this year will be the 10th anniversary high school players’ 3-point shootout with Mayor Tim Leavitt. Leavitt is a noted local hoopster — Anderson said he remembers being impressed by Leavitt’s play when they were both students at Fort Vancouver High School — and besting his extra-long shots at the hoop will prove to be a challenge, Anderson promised. This event, set for 1 p.m. Saturday, is open to high school students “who feel like they’re pretty good at the 3-point shot,” Anderson said. Come to the corner of Eighth and Columbia to qualify. “We’ll take the top three or four” for the ultimate contest against Hizzoner, Anderson said.

If you’re less certain of your shooting skills — but feel like taking some shots for fun and maybe luck anyway — don’t miss the cherry-picker “Skyhoop Challenge.” Regulation height for all the 3-on-3 tournament hoops at Hoops on the River is either 8 or 10 feet, according to the age of the players, but this hoop will be perched at an altitude of about 20 feet, Anderson said.

“Anybody is welcome to take a shot at $1 per shot, or 10 for $5,” Anderson said. Every successful sinking equals one entry in a raffle for prizes like signed Trailblazers game balls, he said.

(The Skyhoop was even higher last year, Anderson added, but nobody sinking a basket is not the desired outcome here. “We want people making that shot,” he said. “We don’t want to set it so high that nobody can make it except adult males.”)

10,000 maniacs

Tournament play will be all day long on Saturday and Sunday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hundreds of preregistered teams (deadline was Aug. 12) and as many as 10,000 spectators will swarm 21 temporary half-courts that have been set up along West Eighth and Columbia Streets, on the north and east sides of the park. Teams will compete in every imaginable division — elite players, men’s and women’s open, boys and girls at different ages, wheelchairs and Special Olympics.

This year, for the first time, Anderson floated the idea of a special “Service Division,” intended to encourage friendly competition between teams composed of folks who are first responders or in the military. Teams of police officers, firefighters, paramedics and soldiers could have had their entry fees waived — but when The Columbian last checked in, no teams had jumped at the chance. Maybe next year, Anderson said.

Papa Murphy’s Pizza and Dutch Brothers are sponsors of the event, but other than that Anderson said he’s been careful not to compete with the ongoing summertime Vancouver Farmers Market along Esther Street. Hoops on the River doesn’t supply food vendors for visitors, but heartily encourages participants and fans to check out the farmers market’s many offerings, Anderson said.

Anderson stressed what many hoopsters and fans may not realize about Hoops on the River: It’s a charity fundraiser. The event was started by Share, the agency that tends the hungry and homeless, but it quickly outgrew Share’s capacity as well as its mission, Anderson said. Anderson and a partner started a foundation called One Team Kids to take up the challenge. One Team aims to support scholarships and after-school activities for children.