Hooplandia, presented by Eastern States Exposition (ESE), ended on Sunday afternoon, June 21, after a busy weekend of competitive basketball, special guest appearances, instructional clinics and endless fun for hoop fanatics. A neck-and-neck Pro-Am playoff at ESE and select youth championship games at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame ensured that the tournament’s final day was full of nail-biting last battles and many celebrations.

The event, which took place from June 19-21, Father’s Day weekend, attracted more than 300 teams and over one thousand players from across the United States, including Florida, California, Virginia and New Hampshire. Spectators traveled from as far as Ireland to see the tourney play out at the ESE complex. Divisions spanned from youth through adult, with specialty divisions including Special Olympics and a FIBA-sanctioned Pro-Am division, powered by 3x360 Sports. Additionally, select adult division champions were awarded $1,000 cash prizes following their wins, and the victorious Pro-Am team received $2,500.

Friday Night Hooptacular, June 19, was a free community-wide event with skills competitions and intense rivalry games on the Showcase Court, presented by Planet Fitness. Honorary guests included Greg Procino, Vice President of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame; Matt Hall, Senior Technical Officer of Basketball Ireland; Mayor John Vieau of Chicopee; Mayor Joshua Garcia of Holyoke; and Mayor Christopher Johnson of Agawam. They gave witness to an opening ceremony where Coach James Gee, President and CEO of the Springfield Ballers and coach to Springfield Central High School’s girls’ varsity basketball team, was presented with the prestigious Sportsmanship Award, presented by Mark Cress of Bulkley Richardson, the sponsor of the award.

An eager audience arrived to cheer on student athletes from across the Pioneer Valley as they played in six competitive cross-town games. The talk of the night was the Western Mass. Championship rematch between the boys’ teams from Pope Francis Preparatory School and West Springfield High School and the girls’ rematch between Springfield Central High School and Longmeadow High School.

Festival highlights included a guest appearance by former Boston Celtics player and current analyst Brian “The White Mamba” Scalabrine, who hosted a skills clinic and meet and greet at noon on Saturday, June 20. A signed basketball from him was given away to one lucky fan during Sunday’s tournament play.

Additional clinics were hosted at midday on Sunday, June 21, by Ta’Quan “Tootie” Zimmerman, formerly of the Utah Jazz’s g-league, and Joe the Jet of the Harlem Wizards. Zimmerman was spreading the empowering message of his mentorship program, “Be a Baller, Not a Bully,” with assistance from credible player development coach Julio Vazquez.

The interactive entertainment did not end there—sneaker artist Vinnie Ducharme and Designs by Amanda Kate provided stations to customize apparel; DJs from across New England ripped up the decks to set the tone for the competition, including DJs Nicki Nell, Onyx, Meechie, Splash, Mad Maxx and The Architect; and Connecticut-based artist, ARCY, created a commemorative mural of Jalen Brunson of NBA Champions the New York Knicks in real time.

On Sunday, June 21, one scorekeeper was asked to step up to center court to be recognized for her exemplary commitment to the tournament. The MVP Volunteer award is an annual recognition, and this year it was bestowed to Jessica Gardner, a loyal, longtime volunteer from Hartford, Conn.

The Pro-Am division, powered by 3x360 Sports, is now fully FIBA-sanctioned, adding merit to the tournament’s most competitive league. The division was won by team How to Hoop Forever, led by native New Yorker Jack Appleby, for a second year in a row. This time around, the team featured newcomers Jack Shannon, Ryan Tena and NCAA March Madness legend Doug Edert, formerly of the St. Pete’s Peacocks.

Division sponsors included the U.S. Airforce, AM Lithographic Corporation, AMSkier Insurance, Baystate Health, Paige Plumbing, Coca-Cola Northeast, Cabot Creamery, Checkwriters, Clemenza’s, Dietza Company Architects, Excel, Collins Electric, D. Hotel Suites & Spa, the Dowd Agencies, Grimaldi Construction, Drake’s Cakes, Eversource, Springfield Fire Department, Westfield Gas + Electric, Freedom Credit Union, Ford Dealers of New England, LiUNA!, ORE Construction, Pioneer Valley Financial Group, Hartline, Inc., Asphalt Maintenance, Planet Fitness, Skip’s Outdoor Accents, Spalding, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 104, U.S.A. Recycling, the Western Mass Sports Commission, Wyckoff Country Club, Z Metra Clear Span Structures, Westfield Bank, Bulkley Richardson, Florence Bank, Hot Table, Samuel Adams Beer Garden, GTC Landscaping and Explore Western Mass.

In the past, Hooplandia has adjusted to indoor gameplay due to inclement weather, but the tournament saw its warmest weather to date, with glorious sunshine all three days.

Information on registration, the installation of the championship teams display at the Basketball Hall of Fame, sponsorship opportunities and programming for Hooplandia 2027 will be released within upcoming months. Stay in the loop on all things hoop by visiting Hooplandia.com, joining the event’s newsletter list and keeping up to date on social media.

Find a full photo gallery from the event on our Media Center.