B-Ball by the Numbers
June 29, 2010 
2 Comments
Basketball is a numbers game. From twenty feet away, the idea of putting an inflatable ball with a diameter of roughly nine and a half inches into a basket that is eighteen inches across and ten feet from the ground should defy physics. But that is precisely what happened countless times this last weekend with about 7,000 teams engaged in “the biggest 3-on-3 tournament on the planet.” It took roughly two miles of white tape and eight and a half miles of yellow tape to make Hoopfest’s 446 courts, enough to span from Downtown Spokane to the Spokane Valley Mall.
Hoopfest by Jack High
Even local authors Jess Walter and Sherman Alexie are fans, taking their love of hoops to new literary, ahem, heights:
We play basketball
because we want to
separate love from
hate, and because we
know how to keep scoreSherman Alexie, Why We Play Basketball.
But this weekend, separating love and hate during Hoopfest wasn’t as effortless as in years past. Spokane Police were mandated a DUI quota by contacting three motorists per hour this weekend as part of extra impaired driving patrols. One Geiger inmate escaped from a Hoopfest work crew.
The talk of the tournament was about a shooting between rival gangs. Three victims unrelated to the incident were injured, fortunately all with non-life threatening injuries to the foot and shin. (One of the assailants was responsible for a gang-related stabbing outside Club Uno last fall and was scheduled for trial September 20th.)
“We have a gang problem in Spokane. We have related crimes and they are continuing to be more violent. So when you have Hoopfest, and all those variables, it’s a recipe for disaster.”
Jennifer DeRuwe, Spokane Police Department Spokesperson
Do you feel last weekend’s incidents at Hoopfest will dissuade people from participating despite their love for the game? It is estimated that Hoopfest contributes about $30 million dollars of economic impact to our community. What will be the cost of this shooting? What can be done to prevent 19 and 20 year old young men from firing into a crowd?
About the Author
Is there ever going to be a way to have a line drawn on who should not have a gun. Prisoners in prison? Visitors to the White House? Guns in the maternity ward? Guns in operating rooms of hospitals?
People need jobs with meaning, but before that, people need a way to contribute to community and therefore connect…after all, gangs are about community. Also, I’d like to know about gang members upbringing, preschool and school experiences (which can counteract lack of guidance at home) . Which adults have been supportive in their lives?
No, I would not hesitate to return to Riverfront Park, the water sculpture, or Hoopfest. My vigilance might increase however. I have too many fears and don’t want to add to the list.