Hoopfest's elite ready to take center stage this weekend at annual 3-on-3 tournament

Jun. 23—Northern Quest Center Court is home to the premier basketball that Hoopfest offers.

Four elite divisions compete throughout the weekend with the goal to play in the U.S. Pavilion to join Hoopfest history .

Three 2022 elite champions are back for more, while one division is wide open for the field to test its luck.

In the men's 6-foot and over bracket, Hub Northwest is vying for its fifth consecutive title, which would tie a Hoopfest record with BAMM (coed elite in 2017-19 and 2022) and TBA (women's elite between 2010-14).

Hub Northwest is still manned by former Gonzaga player Mike Hart, former Eastern players Parker Kelly and Marc Axton, and Northwest Nazarene and Northwest Christian grad Robert Lippman.

Its first game on Saturday is against Flight at 9:30 a.m. on Xfinity elite division court No. 4 on Spokane Falls Boulevard, just east of Howard Street.

Standing in the way of a fifth consecutive title are Big and Juicy — the runner-up a year ago — and Rawr xd, which features former Lewis and Clark standout and Boise State player Naje Smith.

Big and Juicy features Dominick Oliveri, Matt Ellis, Elias Ralph and Aaron Tesfagiorgis.

Oliveri played alongside Smith at LC from 2014-2016 before heading to Western Washington and the University of Victoria for his final year of eligibility last season.

That's where Ellis, Ralph and Tesfagiorgis all played and lived. Ellis went on to play professionally in Canada.

They play Juiced Up on Saturday at 8 a.m. on Xfinity elite division No. 2.

Xavian Rushing, Desmen McCoy and Daylon Gray also play for Rawr xd. Those three had a mixture of competitive youth and high school experience. The team's first game is against Eastern OR Ballers at 8 a.m. on Xfinity elite division No. 1.

Men's under-6-foot

The 2022 champs, BE BALL FOR LIFE, will attempt to repeat without one of their players from a year ago.

Dominique McClendon, Justin Bright and Jason Carmichael return, with Joshua Thomas added.

Thomas was a member of the 2017-19 Eastern Washington teams after playing at Central Valley .

Bright, who played for Community Colleges of Spokane, will look for his fourth elite title. His first two came with his brother Daniel in 2010 (No Ceilings) and 2017 (Charlie's Gold).

Preston Wynne, formerly of BE BALL FOR LIFE, is now on Amotkan and is teamed up with Brandon Kohler, Markieth Brown and Coty Reuben. All played pro ball in some capacity except Reuben .

Brown played at Shadle Park and Montana Tech. Kohler played at Reardan High and spent a season at Whitworth.

Wynne played at CCS with Bright, becoming the second Sasquatch player to surpass 1,000 points. He played at Wellpinit High.

BE BALL FOR LIFE's first game is at 10:30 a.m. against Full Contact on Xfinity elite division court No. 6. Amotkan faces Double D at 9 a.m. on Xfinity elite division court No. 8.

Women's elite

Fresh off her induction into the Hooptown USA Hall of Fame, Stacy Clinesmith is back for more.

In 2022, Clinesmith won her fifth elite title and second with Tomato StreetBallers.

Clinesmith is still an assistant on Lisa Fortier's Gonzaga staff, but prior she was a state player of the year under Jeannie Helfer at Mead.

She went to UC Santa Barbara, graduating as the program's fourth-leading scorer (1,565 points) and second in assists (647). The Sacramento Monarchs made her their second-round pick in the WNBA draft.

Oti Gildon (formerly with Gonzaga Prep and Oregon) and Megan Huff stepped down from the team, replaced by Kiara Kudron and Laurie Koehn.

Kudron played under Clinesmith at Gonzaga from 2012-17 and she was a video assistant coach for the Bulldogs until a season ago. She also played professionally in Spain and Luxembourg.

Koehn is an associate coach for Washington State but formerly played in the WNBA for eight seasons between the Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream.

Erika Bean, who played at Utah before a pro career in Greece, returns to the team.

The team's first game is against BlockItLikeItsHot at 8 a.m. on Xfinity elite division court No. 5 on Spokane Falls, west of Stevens.

Coed elite

The bracket is wide open this year as BAMM didn't return after five consecutive titles. BAMM's Matt and Mike Dorr, and Andrew and Brianne Ryan, are not competing in 2023.

After their last win, Andrew Ryan said their decision to return would come a week or two before registration. It appears the answer was no.

The team that pushed BAMM to a sudden-death game in 2022 is back , but instead of being known as Alley Oopers, it's Family Ties.

Austin Bolt, the former Gatorade Player of the Year in basketball and football in 2020, leads the team with three Jimenezes flanking him: Alyssa, Alex and Salvador. The Jimenezes played with Bolt at Borah High School in Boise.

Bolt is also a tight end for Boise State whose 2022 season was cut short due to a season-ending leg injury.

Bolt was a strong coed MVP candidate last year, with a jump shot that was difficult to defend. This year, he will need more help from the Jimenezes in their title drive.

Their first game is at 8:30 a.m. against Local Twenty Nine on Xfinity elite court No. 5.