Saturday, June 15, 2002
Broadnax, Team Cincinnati set for Hoop-It-Up tourney
Schoolteacher's squad excels in 3-on-3 basketball
By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Sure, Chuck Broadnax has seen tougher competition, but these days the 34-year-old schoolteacher will take what he can get.
So far, it has been pretty good. Broadnax, Todd Watson, and Wade and Wyatt Gains make up Team Cincinnati, one of the area's most successful Hoop-It-Up teams.
This weekend, Team Cincinnati will try to reclaim its Top Gun division title after a two-year drought. The Hoop-It-Up tournament will take place at Forest Fair Mall from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., today and Sunday. Team Cincinnati lost to an Indianapolis-area team in 2000 and couldn't compete last season because of scheduling conflicts.
Since 1996, Team Cincinnati has won three city championships and advanced to the World Championships in 1997. All four players are in their early 30s and formerly starred at area high schools. Broadnax also played at George Mason University; the Gainses played at Urbana College.
“We've been playing together since we got out of college,” Broadnax said. “We've all known each other since we were 13 or 14. I played at North College Hill, the twins (Gains brothers) played at Greenhills, and Todd played at Finneytown. So we were high school rivals, too.”
Hoop-It-Up is a three-on-three, outdoor basketball tournament sponsored by the NBA. It is open to men and women ages 8 and up and is divided into several divisions. The Top Gun division is the most competitive and is the only division that advances to a regional and world tournament. Top Gun teams are often composed of former college or standout high school players.
“I think three-on-three is almost more skillful,” Broadnax said, comparing it to traditional basketball. “You can play one-on-one, but you won't win that way. You have to be constantly moving.”
The biggest difference between the traditional game and three-on-three, Broadnax said, is the physical play. Because players cannot foul out, an easy layup is almost unheard-of in the Top Gun division.
The placement of teams in other divisions is determined by the amount of entries received.
“It's all based on age and experience and height,” tournament director Chris Spencer said. “We pretty much put that information in the computer and it spits out different divisions.”
The deadline to enter the tournament was Tuesday, and Spencer said between 500 and 600 teams will compete.
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Broadnax, Team Cincinnati set for Hoop-It-Up tourney
