Street basketball returning to Jamestown June 4-5

Outdoor basketball will return to downtown Jamestown the weekend of June 4 and 5 when The Resource Center presents the inaugural Street JAM three-on-three tournament.

Street JAM will take place on West Third Street, between Main and Monroe streets.  That section of the city has been the site of a three-on-three tournament on the first weekend in June the previous four years.

The annual three-on-three basketball tournament has become a staple in the Jamestown area since the first tournament was held in 1997.  The event typically attracts more than 500 teams and thousands of spectators.  In addition to providing exciting basketball action, the tournament also is a boon to local businesses, which benefit from the money spent by the players and fans.  Street JAM plans to continue that winning formula.

“Basketball will return to downtown Jamestown this spring as it always has, and we will still be supporting our community with what they have always been used to having,” said Victoria Trass Bardo, tournament director.

TRC Foundation had been the sponsoring organization of the other basketball tournament for 14 years.  When TRC Foundation’s board of directors voted to discontinue that tournament, The Resource Center developed the idea to launch Street JAM as a way of continuing the winning tradition of three-on-three basketball in Jamestown.

While the previous three-on-three tournament was associated with a national company that handled some of the logistics involved with the event, the key to the tournament’s success was the local people who truly ran the event – volunteers, sponsors, basketball officials, partnering organizations and businesses, and the City of Jamestown.  Street JAM will be successful because the local people and entities that made the other tournament flow smoothly also will be the ones putting together Street JAM.

“I’ve been a volunteer since three-on-three basketball started in Jamestown nearly 15 years ago,” said Mark Olson.  “There’s a new level of excitement as we not only look to improve the tournament but to make it so the money raised here stays here in our community.  The game is definitely on”

Money raised from the tournament will continue to benefit people with disabilities and their families in Chautauqua County.  And whereas a portion of the proceeds generated by the Jamestown tournament was paid to the national company and its out-of-area vendors, all of the money raised through Street JAM will remain in the community, and the dollars spent by the tournament organizers in association with the event will be spent with local businesses.

“Street JAM is going to be a great way to keep everything local,” said Ms. Bardo.  “In the past, many of the dollars spent on the tournament left the area.  Now, dollars that used to go out of state will stay with local companies for things such as T-shirts, equipment, supplies, and insurance.  This tournament is a way not only to keep proceeds local, but it still is going to allow players to support a local charity and individuals with disabilities.”

Players who have participated in the Jamestown tournament in the past can be assured they can come to Street JAM expecting the same quality event they have enjoyed before, as well as an upbeat, festival-style atmosphere.  The Resource Center plans to offer a variety of activities in conjunction with Street JAM, including food vendors, apparel and basketball-related special events.  The tournament will offer something for players of all ages.  Street JAM will allow people with a love of the game to get more involved than they have in the past and really have a local impact on the community.

“Simply put, the game of basketball is still the same game of basketball, and The Resource Center wants to carry on a tradition in a way that gives fun and excitement to the community, provides a family-friendly event, offers competitive basketball, and makes sure that local businesses and individuals are happy,” said Ms. Bardo.

Since deciding to launch Street JAM, The Resource Center has been pleased with the outpouring of support it has received from area residents and businesses eager to ensure that a street basketball tournament remain in Jamestown.  One anonymous supporter contributed $7,500 toward Street JAM, and The Resource Center hopes local businesses will step forward to sponsor the tournament so that Street JAM is a financial success.

“We’re grateful to those who have stepped forward to support Street JAM, and we know other businesses will want to get in on the ground floor of what is sure to become a winning tradition,” said Greg Krauza, who also has been volunteering at the Jamestown tournament since it started.

Businesses interested in sponsoring Street JAM, as well as area residents wishing to serve as volunteers, should contact Ms. Bardo at 661-1477.

A web site for Street JAM has been launched (www.trcstreetjam.com), and people can keep up to date on the latest developments via Facebook (www.facebook.com/trcstreetjam).

The public is invited to attend a press conference February 15 in Jamestown, when more details about Street Jam will be revealed.