Dru Gimlin tournament set for Saturday

QUINCY – The annual Dru Gimlin 3-on-3 basketball tournament will be this Saturday, with player check-in beginning at 8 a.m. and the first games starting at 9 a.m. The event helps raise money to support Quincy athletes and ensures financial support for children to participate in sports.

“It will be a fun-filled day full of basketball,” said Stephanie Boorman, who runs the event. “It’s a long day, but we’re excited to have the streets of downtown come alive again with basketball.

The tournament is still in need of volunteers to help out with operations at the tournament. Organizers need court monitors to manage fouls, scorekeepers and a cleanup crew for Saturday.

“We are looking for any and all scorekeepers that we can get,” said Boorman.

Saturday’s forecast is currently showing rain during the midpoint of the tournament and lasting throughout the late afternoon. Boorman said the weather should have no impact on the tournament.

“The plus side to the cooler weather is we’re not having to deal with the excessive heat that we typically encounter,” she said.

Boorman said there are 123 teams registered to play this year, and schedules have been posted on the Dru Gimlin 3 on 3 Facebook page. She said the tournament will be utilizing the additional courts they put together last year, making a total of 19 courts.

There will be both boys and girls divisions from grades 3-12 alongside open and adult divisions. Due to a shortage of court monitors, seventh- and eighth-grade brackets are being asked to call their fouls.

The Massey family will be the main food vendor this year, serving pulled pork sandwich meals for a fundraiser to help with 4-year-old Rylinn Massey’s medical costs as she battles stage 4 lymphoma.

“We’re strongly encouraging everybody to help support them,” said Boorman.

This year marks 22 years since Dru’s passing at the age of 17. He was a star player on the Quincy High School basketball team and as such, honors his legacy by inviting basketball players from all around to compete.

The tournament operates separately from the Dru Gimlin Foundation but has raised over $200,000 to put back into the foundation from the tournament’s fundraising over the years, according to the tournament’s website. The foundation has funded over 200 individual high school athletes for items like ASB cards, shoes, uniforms, gloves and tennis racquets, gives out a yearly scholarship to a male and a female athlete with a value of $750 and funds local athletic programs.

As the tournament approaches this weekend, Boorman said she is asking for patience from everyone as the number of volunteers is not enough to fully accommodate each game. If a scorekeeper or court monitor is not available for whatever reason, she asks that parents and spectators continue to step into the role to keep the games running smoothly.

“It’s a team effort. The event couldn’t take place without a community and thankfully, that’s what we see every year,” she said. “Everybody comes out to help keep things moving and we just ask for that continued patience and effort to help out.”

Those interested in still helping at the tournament can contact Stephanie Boorman at 509-289-0688 or email drugimlin3on3@gmail.com.

    A player makes a pass while being defended during last year’s tournament. The Dru Gimlin 3-on-3 basketball tournament helps raise money for the Dru Gimlin Foundation to support local athletes.
  

    The Dru Gimlin 3-on-3 basketball tournament features youth teams in grades 3-12 for both boys and girls.