An annual basketball tournament in the area gets a new location.
The 2024 Juneteenth three-on-three basketball tournament returns on Friday at the Black River Coliseum. After hosting the event at Bacon Park for the past three years, the Juneteenth Community Organization, along with vice president Harvey Heard, believed it was time to give the tournament a more upscale location for the athletes.
“We’re really excited about the tournament,” Heard said. “I’m excited to heading into our fourth year and having many age groups for the participants. Our focus for moving inside the coliseum was giving the kids a more safe place other than being outside, where the temperatures can get quite hot. We want them to have fun and play in a more comfortable environment while providing them with some education about Juneteenth.”
The entry fee is $2, with participants 12 and under free. There will be a maximum of four players per team and up to six teams per division. MSHSAA rules will apply and teams must have a coach 18 or older. There will be a cash prize for championship winners.
The event will include entertainment and the organization will honor local athletes and coaches in the surrounding areas.
Heard said that the Juneteenth event has grown largely due to the community’s nonstop support, and he’s hoping for a large turnout. The event will have openings for boys and girls from middle school, junior high and high school, where they will max out at 35 teams.
Besides the heat, Heard said moving the basketball tournament over to the coliseum was making more time and space for other outdoor activities they host during the Juneteenth event.
“Our main goal for this year was to put more focus on our family events,” he said. “Normally, we tried to host many events in one day, and the basketball tournament caused some of the outdoor events to be put on the back burner. We have so many families and kids that don’t participate in just basketball because kids do so many other things. This year, we’ll be able to include a cornhole tournament, sack races and a kickball game, which everyone gets really excited about.”
Heard stated that having additional courts in the coliseum would let more players compete in the competition, as there were only so many courts at Bacon Park. As a basketball community, he said the event allows them to spread the knowledge and history of Juneteenth. They use sports and fun activities to connect with the youth and inform them of the importance of the holiday.
Juneteenth is a celebration of African American freedom, independence and emancipation, which was deemed a federal holiday on June 17, 2021.
Heard said that the purpose of the community gathering was to unite people in eradicating long-standing barriers and lines and demonstrating that people of all ages, colors, and cultures can come together to enjoy themselves without any problems.
While honoring African Americans’ liberation, Heard stated that the main objective is to assist the younger generation.
“The biggest thing for us is finding ways to connect with the youth and to let them know that we can relate to them,” Heard said. “Often, we focus on just talking with them, and sometimes that isn’t the best approach because they see it as a lecture. Basketball and other sports allow us to target the kids and show them you can have fun and learn. We use events such as this as a tool, and when we can pull some in, it’s a beautiful thing. If we didn’t do things like this, gaining a kid’s ear would be hard. We want them to know that we can relate, we care about them, and we will never stop showing up because that’s all any kid wants: to have someone by their side.”
Registration for the event opens at 9 a.m., and the games will kick off at 11 a.m.