14th Hoop-It-Up tournament stops in Philly

The sun was glaring and gallons of sweat drenched the basketball players.

But last weekend, not even the heat could stop the 14th annual NBA Hoop-It-Up tournament from coming through Philadelphia and drawing tons of local basketball players and spectators to the two-day basketball tournament.

Held at the First Union Center, over 2,000 people attended and participated in a series of 3-on-3 basketball games that were held both inside and outside of the stadium.

And Hoop-It-Up -- the world's largest street basketball tournament -- kept the crowds and athletes busy throughout the duration of the event.

Participants were divided into four different age categories -- ages eight and older, teenagers, people with college experience or better (Top Gun) and ages 35 and over -- to play three-on-three games.

The courts were 40 feet by 40 feet and the first team to score 16 points was declared the winner.

But, the rules of the game were tough, which made for fierce competition on the court.

The winning team had to win by a two-point lead and there was a 30 minute limit on the game time. There were also no three pointers allowed. In addition, if a team fouled seven times, the opposing team was given a free throw shot.

The men and women Top Gun finals were held on Sunday, and although players were tired from previous rounds of games, the men's team, titled "And 1," broke past the other teams and dribbled their way to the top. The winning team included Trevor Holland, John Hayes, Time Keenhan and Dan Golembewoski -- all local residents.

Shaenine Stokes, Jaconda Jackson, Morgan Banks, Megan Gibson and Nicole Jones were the members of the winning women's team, the "Hit Squad."

Both teams were awarded trophies for battling their way to victory.

But no matter who won, all the players were in better shape by the end of the weekend.

Basketball-themed special free events which were held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. accompanied the non-stop basketball games each day as well.

The only event that was not free was the much-anticipated and perennial favorite Foot Locker ten feet Slam Jam that was held at noon on Saturday.

The tournament travels to around 40 cities nation wide and is held either in parking lots or specific sites in the city. It is presented by the NBA, Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers, and Comcast SportsNet.

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