ARLINGTON — It is not as big as the legendary basketball tournament called Hoopfest in Spokane, but the 3on3 Xtravaganza in Arlington has its own kind of charm.

In the sixth year since its inception, about 200 teams showed up last weekend at the Arlington Airfield, competing in adult, youth, men or coed three-on-three basketball games.

Patrick Robison, 62, of Olympia Pizza is a retired high school basketball coach from Darrington. He said he kept up with the younger competitors and was amused to play with some of players he used to coach against.

“I like the fact that mostly kids are here,” Robison said. “It keeps them off the streets and out of trouble.”

At his age, basketball is what keeps him alive. “Keeps your heart going and your legs strong,” he said.

The ex-coach said tournaments like these is what the city needs. “I’m really glad this is going on — really good stuff,” he said.

He and teammate John Johnson of Arlington have been to huge pickup tournaments like Hoopfest before. But they like the Xtravaganza. They’ve played at it three times.

“It’s just a good time,” said Johnson, who appreciated the music and the relatively cooler location. “I love playing the game.”

Matt Shifleet, 38, commuted from Eastern Washington to be a member of “Wrong side of 35.” Shifleet works construction in the sun all year and has been to Hoopfest himself, so he also appreciated the pleasant weather. He also liked the public address system that announced the times of the games, as well as the score, which he said weren’t the norm at Hoopfest.

“This is pretty well-ran. Hopefully I’ll be back next year,” said Shifleet, who at 6-foot-5 had a height advantage over most of the competition.

Darin Vinkes, 30, of “Shaq Nicholson” came from Bellingham. His brother also played on the team. “It kind of brings us together,” he said.

Vinkes has been to some pretty scrappy tournaments where dirty playing and altercations were common. But that wasn’t the case at Xtravaganza because of the officials.

“They actually seem to pay attention on what goes on in the game,” he said. “There’s no playing dirty, but it’s physical.”

He’s played Hoopfest but heard of the 3on3X while competing at another tournament a month ago.

“The weather has been nice, and the atmosphere has been friendly — no bad attitudes,” Vinkes said.

Gracie Castaneda, a recent graduate of Arlington High School and a standout basketball player there, played on the coed team “Patrick’s Quality Painting.”

She likes competitive basketball more, but she enjoys three-on-three because you can “be more aggressive.”

“It’s super fun, and it’s local,” she said. “You got to support Arlington. It’s all people we know.”

3on3x slide show 2016