West Springfield businesses excited as Hooplandia registration gets underway

WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- New England’s ultimate 3-on-3 basketball tournament, Hooplandia, is coming back to West Springfield. The event is making its return to the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds and will draw people from all over the region and beyond. With registration underway, excitement is already building.

“Hooplandia is the east coast’s largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament,” said Tim Garstka, Hooplandia’s director of sales. “The level of play on Saturday and Sunday was just incredible. Every game was super competitive. People were respectful, just really enjoying the game of basketball.”

Garstka told Western Mass News that, last year, the all-inclusive tournament and festival welcomed thousands of participants and spectators to both play and celebrate the sport near the birthplace of basketball. More than 600 games were played on more than 50 courts, with some special contests played at the Basketball Hall of Fame. There were also proceeds that went to Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the region.

With registration open early this time around, Garstka told us he hopes the celebration is much bigger and the action is doubled.

“We opened it up last week, so people can plan their basketball schedules. It’s before the AAU schedule comes out, so if you’re a real competitive hoopster, you can make sure that you put it down in your calendar and, if you’re a casual player or a weekend warrior, it gives you plenty of time to make your adjustments,” Garstka explained.

With Hooplandia happening at the fairgrounds, that means the entire weekend would be huge for restaurants in the area, such as Mamma Mia’s Pizzeria located across the street.

“We’re a great city. We have so much to offer and our love of basketball kind of showcases that. It was great to see a lot of new faces and a lot of people,” said Mama Mia’s owner Leonardo Alfarone.

Alfarone told us last year they saw a five percent uptick in customers that weekend compared to a normal week. Now, he expects another slam dunk of a weekend once this year’s tournament gets underway.

“We always have weekly specials, so when everybody’s coming out that week, we’ll definitely have something whipped up for the Hooplandia hype,” Alfarone added.

The Hooplandia basketball tournament and festival runs from June 21 to June 23. You can CLICK HERE for more information or to register.