Hooplandia 2024: ‘Friday Hooptacular’ opens the weekend-long basketball festival at the Big E

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Hooplandia returns this weekend to the Eastern States Exposition, and the signs of rapid growth are already visible in the city’s burgeoning summer 3×3 basketball festival.

The Friday Night Hooptacular opened the weekend festivities, with teams checking in and getting an early chance to play on the blacktop courts, with over 70 to choose from. Participants and attendees also competed in a three-point shooting contest and a skills challenge contest on the Showcase courts.

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame President and CEO John Doleva, a prominent figure in the basketball world, attended and spoke at the Hooptacular ceremony. His presence and words of praise for Hooplandia’s growth in its second year, with over 850 players set to compete in this weekend’s tournament, underscore the event’s credibility and potential.

“Last year they had about 100 teams, this year about 250 (teams)… take that to next year, take 250 to 500, a year after that 500 to 1,000 – all of a sudden, you got a really big tournament here in 2026,” Doleva said. “…the (Naismith) Basketball Hall of Fame is both an anchor point and a beneficiary of all these teams coming in. We take the long-haul view (with Hooplandia), we want to grow this to 1,000-1,500 teams.”

The Hooptacular festivities were brought to a halt when the weather turned bad early in the evening. The break did not last long, as the action quickly moved indoors, where the opening ceremony and the Springfield-West Springfield Rivalry Games carried on without issue.

“You got a beautiful facility here (at the Eastern States Exposition) that can handle all kinds of weather,” Doleva said. “… acres and acres of coverage space (for courts), you’ve got concessions all built-in. If this was (another) city outside, you might be thinking of canceling tonight, or you might be thinking about canceling tomorrow. The Big E is the perfect site for a 3×3 tournament in the summertime that I can think of.

“When this gets traction, I think 30% of the teams (will be) out-of-market, so they’ll be staying overnight. When this gets traction, and you get 1,000-1,500 teams here, you will see (a) big impact on hotels, restaurants, and other amenities that the community has. Everything starts with the first step – we’re in our second step (now); we’ll probably hit our stride next year and then break into a run in 2026.”

Springfield Central girls basketball coach James Gee coached the Springfield girls team, where Springfield defended its title over West Springfield in the girls’ and the boys’ Rivalry Games.

“We have teams from Texas (New Jersey, Pennsylvania) and West Coast as well; they come into Western Mass. (and get to see) where the home of basketball is at,” Gee said. “It’s a good opportunity for our kids and adults to compete against people all over the country.

“Kids are going to see the college kids from UMass and UConn; last year, the Boston Celtics (Junior Academy) was here at one point. This event gives the kids an opportunity to see the bigger picture and an opportunity to see some of these athletes coming back and giving back to their local communities. Some of these kids actually follow them on their social media, and (that) gives them something to aspire for.”