There will be no basketball played on the asphalt at this year’s Seafest as the Jim Ciccone Memorial 3-on-3 basketball tournament was cancelled due to lack of players and teams.
“The teams we spoke to who were signed up were pretty bummed out, especially the younger kids,” Robyn Martin said. “They were really looking forward to it.”
Martin, a director with Prince Rupert Special Events and one of the event’s organizers, said that there were only 10 teams signed up across four divisions by the time the tournament’s registration closed at 4 p.m. on June 6. This included one team in the Grade 4-5 division, two teams in the Grade 6-7 division, two teams in the Grade 8 division, three teams in the Grade 9-10 division, one team in the Grade 11-12 division and one women’s team.
READ MORE: Competition intense at 19th Annual Jim Ciccone 3-on-3 Basketball Challenge
By 6 p.m., Martin said the organizing committee made the decision to cancel the tournament, thanking the teams that signed up, the team’s sponsors — Northern Savings Credit Union, Cook’s Jewellers and Good Time Games — and the Charles Hays Secondary School senior boys basketball team for their generosity and help with organizing the tournament.
Martin said the tournament entries had been declining over the past two years. Last year, there were only 14 entries, the lowest number since the tournament’s inaugural year in 1998 when 32 teams participated.
Despite this recent trend, Martin said she is hopeful the tournament can make a return next year.
“The key is that people sign up early so we know what our numbers are,” she said.
READ MORE: Results from the 15th Annual Jim Ciccone Memorial 3-on-3 Basketball Challenge
matthew.allen@thenorthernview.com
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