WS Chronicle

For those that grew up in the 1990s and were basketball fans, the Hoop It Up tournament was a rite of passage. Now, the kids of Forsyth County and beyond will have the opportunity to take part in the classic tournament on August 13 at Forsyth Country Day School, 5501 Shallowford Road, Lewisville, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The three-on-three format of the tournament allows you and your friends the chance to display your arsenal of skill against the best basketball players in the area. There are several different age group divisions for men, women and kids. There is even a pro-am division for men that includes a cash prize for placing in the top three and the winner of that division earns points for the national championship in Arizona later this year.

Kevin Garnett took over as owner of Hoop It Up several years ago and has been attempting to bring the tournament back to its past glory. Cory Baker, franchisee for the North Carolina area, has been very instrumental in organizing and coordinating efforts for the upcoming tournament.

The interest for the tournament has been better than what Baker initially expected. There are still open spots, but they are filling up quickly, so he encourages everyone who is interested to sign up before the Aug. 10 deadline.

“I have definitely been pleased with the number of teams because they were signing up early and before we even started our heavy advertising,” said Baker. “That was real surprising but I was glad to see it at the same time.”

Even with the high interest, Baker says organizers are still looking for more women’s teams to join the tournament. He says they are trying to bring more girls and women out to play.

Being a part of the team that finally brings Hoop It Up back brings Baker a lot of joy, he said. 

“I am very excited and the community is latching on to it,” he said. “We just want to get the word out to as many people and let as many people know that they are invited to come out and have a fun day with us.”

Outside of the tournament, there will be other activities for the entire family to enjoy.

“We will have food trucks, live entertainment, slam dunk contest and a three-point contest,” he continued. “We are just trying to get everybody involved to come to a safe environment and have a good time.”

To obtain more information or to register for the tournament, please visit www.hoopitup.com and find the Winston-Salem link or email Baker at 2020hoopitup@gmail.com. 

Baker wanted to give a special shout out to the sponsors, includiing the Winston-Salem area McDonald’s, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Baker Business Center LLC, Too Hott Customs, Dennis Automotives, The Village Inn Hotel and Hope Counseling and Consulting Services Inc.