SMOKEY POINT With a bustling weekend scheduled for sports fans around Snohomish County, the Hot August Hoops fundraiser for Arlington AAU nearly didnt go off as planned.
We almost combined with Monroe, said Hot August Hoops organizer Darren Carlson of another 3-on-3 basketball tournament taking place Aug. 4-5 between Weston High School and Stillaguamish Athletic Club.
Hot August Hoops also vied with the Marysville Youth Soccer Clubs Strawberry Classic for the areas athletes and snagged almost 60 teams of athletes ranging in age from about fourth grade to adult and representing everywhere from Seattle to north Whatcom County.
Its not against anybody as long as youve got kids playing, said Charlie Cobb, who is organizing the Tulalip 3-on-3 tournament taking place Aug. 11-12.
In addition to benefiting AAU, Carlson added, Hot August Hoops raised enough money to give $1,000 to the family of Carl Biesler, an AAU alum and eighth grader this fall, who recently received a heart transplant.
Its the thought that were worried about. He was a player in our program, and we want to do whatever we can. Its just a drop in the bucket because now that he got the heart, hes got all kinds of expenses, Carlson said, adding that North Sound Physical Therapy matched the fundraisers donation to the Biesler family.
Local teams performed well in the tournament.
Arlington teams won nine of the 12 competitive divisions the MVPs won the boys fourth-grade, Sudden Trouble won the sixth-grade, the Wizards won the eighth-grade, Teris Hallmark won the ninth-grade, Eagles One the varsity and Bourasaws the mens competitive divisions. Among the girls categories, Arlington teams Team Fource, A-Town Hoopers and All Day Long won their respective categories.
Carlsons oldest son, Eric, played on the winning ninth-grade team, Teris Hallmark, while his youngest sons team finished in the middle of the pack in the fourth-grade division.
Other Arlington sports standouts made appearances on championship teams. Arlington grad Abe Bourasaw and his brother Ben played on the winning mens competitive team. Arlington junior guard Kyra Prause played on Quinn Kesselrings winning girls varsity team.
With the tournaments particular success among middle schoolers and younger, Carlson said he hopes to expand the field of athletes next year to players as young as the second and third grade. And though many of those 7-, 8- and 9-year-olds may be too short to make baskets, Carlson has plans to accommodate them.
Well lower the hoop. Well go down to an eight-foot hoop and their eyes light up when that happens, he said.