Another 3x3 basketball tournament is definitely coming to Towradgi Park after the inaugural one last weekend "exceeded all expectations".
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So said Lucas Walker, who organised the first tournament to coincide with the launch of newly formed Illawarra Heat's inclusion in the 3x3 Champions League Basketball competition.
"It was unbelievable. It exceeded my expectations," he said.
"We had 26 teams register and we had a couple of hundred people come through on Saturday at Towradgi Park, it was great.
"We got great feedback from all the parents and all the community.
"That location there at Towradgi Park has a lot of foot traffic going to and from the beach so lots of people just calling through and asking 'what it was and saying it looked fantastic'.
"It was good, we loved it, we had a great time."
Likened to T20 cricket and Rugby 7s, the abbreviated basketball format is riding a wave of interest after featuring at the Tokyo Olympics last year.
Ten-year NBL veteran Walker, said the two-day event included competitions for wheelchair, all-abilities, junior and open age participants.
"It was a great one to kick off. I wasn't actually expecting such a good response from our first one but it was great, we definitely hit the mark," Walker said.
It was a great one to kick off. I wasn't actually expecting such a good response from our first one but it was great, we definitely hit the mark.
- Lucas Walker
"I want to try and run these every two to three months and obviously we want to build and get more participants.
"Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of girls teams, which was a little disappointing so we want to get a lot more girls involved across all our age groups.
"That will definitely be a focus for the next tournament. It was fantastic regardless and definitely something we can still build on."
Walker listed the great turnout and support from local businesses among the many tournament highlights.
"Having the Corrimal Surf Club there and Murphy's Coffee among others was fantastic," he said.
"The surf club were able to raise some money for nippers, which was fantastic and overall just the turnout was the highlight for me for sure."
The inaugural winners of the elite men's division were Sydney Supersonics, one of Illawarra Heat's Champions League opponents.
A bunch of guys from the inner west of Sydney took out the men's social comp, while a team of youngsters from Illawarra Sports High School won the under 18 boys division.
"it was great to have such a cross -section of winners," Walker said.
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