Smaller 3-on-3 tournament still exciting

| MAX BITTLE THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

• Hoop Jam

"We sure didn't want to lose to underclassmen," said Meridian's Luke Schweigert, who is enthused because the Trojans figure they can contend for a Class 1A state tournament berth since every player but graduated standout Andrei Lintz will return.

"Ferndale really was our toughest competition," said Schweigert, who played every minute along with 6-foot-7 junior Michael Hayes and senior guard Mike Ryan because Meridian did not have a fourth player available. The threesome went 6-0 for the tournament, showing they're already in shape for the high school season.

"Those Ferndale guys are really good for their age," Ryan said.

The Ferndale High Flyers indeed displayed impressive depth, especially considering that Jake Frost, Cody Mason, Conor Ford and Jake Schroeder all still have yet to attend their first high school class.

But they already have high school dreams, and then some.

"Hopefully, we'll do well for Ferndale," said Frost, the brother of three-sport Ferndale athlete Jeff Frost. "We've lost only about 15 games of 130 we've played since fourth grade in AAU basketball. Three of us have been together since fourth grade."

"I think we showed we can be pretty good if we work hard enough," Schroeder said.

The three Meridian players, year-round basketball players, showed their poise after falling behind 19-15.

"We were getting a little nervous at that point," Hayes said, "but we picked it up and pulled through. Those Ferndale kids were really tough."

On a beautiful day for outdoor ball, the men's division final impressed observers such as Bellingham police officer Mark Jones, who played outside linebacker for the University of Washington in the Huskies' victory over Iowa in the 1991 Rose Bowl.

"We're just making sure we're keeping the peace," rec basketball enthusiast Jones said with a grin while enjoying the caliber of play. "Some of these men's games are getting pretty intense."

It wasn't hard to see why onlookers were impressed by Steak Sauce, which went 6-0 including a 27-24 victory over the Thugcats in the finals.

It turns out that Steak Sauce players Anthony Petz of Bellingham and Travis Brown of Pullman were part of three consecutive Pacific-10 Conference 3-on 3 intramural champions while representing Washington State University a few years ago.

Pullman's Nick Beamis scored the game's final two baskets for Steak Sauce. The other player was Bellingham's Eric Ludwig, an assistant coach at Whatcom Community College and a former player at the NAIA's Mayville State in North Dakota.

Petz showed why he was good enough to play two years of pro ball in Germany before he came home because he missed the Northwest so much.

"The bigger the tournament, the more fun it is," said Petz, explaining why he hopes the Hoop Jam will draw more teams next year.

"We're planning on keeping the tournament alive," said Mike Love, who directed the event along with fellow Bellingham recreation coordinator Cori Kauk. "It's really gone smoothly today. We're just hoping people will realize how much fun this is and come out and support it."

"Great weather, great attitudes, great fun. What more could you want?" said Kauk.

The tournament has dropped from a high of 90 teams two years ago to 52 in the seven divisions combined.

For a player like recent Sehome graduate Parker Omey, a standout 3-point shooter for the Mariners' fifth-place state Class 2A trophy winners, the Hoop Jam is heaven, even though he now has to play in the men's open division.

"It's still a lot of fun," said Omey, who wants to work on getting bigger and stronger before he takes a shot at college basketball.

"It's great for me, too, said his mother, devoted fan Lisa Omey, who might have been speaking for the dozens of parents who helped coach or ringed the sidelines "I extrapolate incredible enjoyment out of watching my son enjoy something."