Quincy approves street closures for Dru Gimlin tournament

QUINCY — The annual Dru Gimlin three-on-three basketball tournament will hit the streets of downtown Quincy for the 13th year on June 4.

The tournament, which draws hundreds of competitors and spectators every year, was approved for its usual street closures by the Quincy City Council during the council’s regular meeting Tuesday night. Following a presentation from Quincy High School students who are chairing the tournament’s planning and operation this year, the council unanimously approved the street closures for the tournament.

The street closures include Central Avenue South from C to F Street, D Street from First Avenue Southeast through First Avenue Southwest, and E Street from Central to Quincy Hardware & Lumber. The closures will start the evening of June 3 and last until the end of tournament cleanup June 4.

The Dru Gimlin Foundation was founded in 2003, the same year that its namesake, Dru Gimlin, was killed in a car accident. Gimlin was a junior in high school at the time of the accident.

At 6-feet-9 inches and able to strike from long range, Gimlin was a dominant presence on the basketball court and was a true lover of hoops and all sports, according to the Foundation’s website. He had “always wondered why all kids couldn’t participate,” per the Foundation, so after the tragedy in 2003, Gimlin’s loved ones set out to honor him by helping children in struggling families enjoy opportunities in athletics.

In April 2003, two close friends of Gimlin’s – Jerry Morris and Kelly Range – organized a golf tournament to raise money for the start of the Dru Gimlin Foundation. They wanted the proceeds to benefit sports programs and young students who didn’t have the financial means to participate, “so they wouldn’t have the worries about the cost of equipment or the fees involved in playing,” according to the Foundation’s website.

The next year, more of Gimlin’s classmates – Drew Ferguson, Joel Omlin and Kim Schorno – carried the torch by organizing the first three-on-three street basketball tournament in Quincy to support the Dru Gimlin Foundation. Since then, the tournament has become a community staple in Quincy and draws basketball enthusiasts from surrounding communities.

Each year, high school students help organize the project. Stephanie Keller, who is helping guide the student organizers along with Lisa Karstetter, was on hand with the students at Tuesday’s meeting as they requested the same street closures for this year’s tournament. She said the tournament had between 80 and 90 teams last year – not as many as it has had in the past, but still enough to maintain the 13 courts they set up each year.

“It was not as big as three years ago – I think we had over 100 teams,” Keller said. “That was the largest tournament we have had so far, so hopefully it will keep growing.”

The Dru Gimlin Foundation also awards two annual scholarships to high school seniors, one each for a boy and a girl. It uses funds from tournament team entry fees and sponsorships to pay for scholarships and support of sport programs in Quincy. Keller said over the past 13 years, the Foundation has awarded more than $20,000 to local graduates and has raised nearly $90,000 to support its endeavor of assisting young athletes and local sport programs.

Ryan Minnerly can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.