Dru Gimlin tournament returns to Quincy

QUINCY — The streets of Quincy were full of music, food, energy and - most importantly - basketball on Saturday, as the Dru Gimlin 3-on-3 tournament made its return to the streets of the city.

“[The Dru Gimlin Foundation] started as a golf tournament, and then the next year they merged to a 3-on-3 tournament,” said Tournament Chair Stephanie Boorman. “2004 was the first year of the 3-on-3 tournament.”

The tournament is named after Dru Gimlin, a Quincy basketball player who was killed in a car accident in 2003. It took place at the intersection of Central Ave S and D streets in Quincy.

This year’s tournament was the 16th time it has been held and the first one since 2018, with the 2019 tournament being canceled and the next two years having been put off due to the pandemic. Teams from all around Central Washington and elsewhere came out to show their support.

“Oh my gosh, you have no idea,” Boorman laughed as she spoke on how good it feels to have the tournament return. “It’s so amazing, just the thrill of having everybody out there playing. Last night, getting out here and taping the courts and everything and the feeling knowing it’s going to happen.”

The tournament began Saturday morning at 9 a.m., with teams tipping off the competition. Boorman said there were 61 teams who entered the tournament, boys and girls teams ranging from children in the third grade to adults. Word of the tournament's return was spread through communication with past entrants and through social media.

“Mostly social media,” Boorman said on how the word was spread. “We put the posters up in different communities and the chamber of commerce helped blast the information out there. We sent texts out to previous team members, the best we could.”

Boorman said the tournament had an abundant supply of volunteers for 2022, something that the organizers have faced challenges with in previous years.

“This year was the first year that we had more than enough volunteers, which is not common,” Boorman said.

Lisa Karstetter, who said she used to play a more significant role in running the tournament, said she believes the increased interest is a byproduct of having three years off from the tournament.

“I think people were hungry to get back out and see community stuff again,” she said. “You have teams from all over, so it’s kind of neat to [see].”

In her senior year of high school in 2006, Boorman took on running the tournament and took a liking to it. Karstetter then passed on the handlings of the tournament to Boorman in later years, and she continues to run it now with her family.

“This is what it should be, there should be a succession of an event,” Karstetter said. “To keep it going you really need someone who has that passion, and Stephanie definitely has that and has ran with it.”

Tournament winners included Eastmont winning the girls 3/4 and 5/6 bracket, B-Ball Machines winning the boys grade 3/4 bracket, the Warriors winning the boys grade 5/6 bracket, Quincy Swim & Gym winning the girls grade 7/8 bracket, 1 of 1 winning the boys grade 7/8 bracket, Green Machine winning the boys grade 9/10 bracket, the Average Joes winning the girls grade 9/10 bracket, Los Plebes winning the boys grade 11/12 bracket and the Lakers winning the girls grade 11/12 bracket.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.