Van3x Summerfest
- SK
- Sep 7, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 26, 2023
powered by Applewood Autogroup
Boomshakalaka! Van3x Summerfest powered by Applewood Autogroup has united the basketball community to wrap up summer. Next to athletes competing in the u15 and u18 divisions, Van3x was able to host its first Women’s competition in its young history. The open Men’s division saw many of Vancouver’s most known hoopers unite, compete and celebrate an action packed day at the end of August.
None of this would have been possible without the support of Applewood Richmond. Applewood Autogroup has been a constant supporter of Vancouver sports events and we could not be happier to have teamed up for Van3x Summerfest.
The Rundown:
The day started early at the brand new 3x3 outdoor courts at the Richmond Olympic Oval, as the Mayor kicked off the “The Fields Open House”, the Oval’s official opening of the fields. In a comfortable 25 degree weather the u15m and u18m categories checked ball around 10am to get the action going.
The surprise of the day might have been team “Attack”, led by NXT UP Basketball Academy Coach Zachary Usherwood (@_coachush), which could have competed in u12. With 2 wins in 3 games, the young squad finished second in pool play, but ran out of size in the semi finals against team “Elite”.
Our Van3x Summerfest Champions 2023 came from renowned basketball academy SplitSecond Basketball, winning 4 out of their 5 games and averaging the highest points per game in the whole division. Thank you to our competing u15 teams and congratulations to team “SSB”! Splitsecond Basketball is offering a 3x3 league for anyone to join, we are excited to see what the future holds for their players!
The u18 division, players born 2005 and younger, saw many teams from across Vancouver compete on a high level throughout. After a late drop out the night before the tournament, Van3x called for free agents in the u18 division and was able to form a team within 10 minutes. The team around Alex Popa, Leon Hanada and Jay Khunkhun found their groove early on going undefeated in pool play, before coming up just short in semi finals against the Braves (14-17). A fast paced final then saw the Braves and team “Why Not” go back and forth until the very end, with team “Why Not” escaping with the 19-17 victory. Congratulations to Jakobi Matalabos, Ethan Santa Juana, Riley Santa Juana and Robyn Florendo!
Summerfest was far from done when the women’s division battled through the fierce heat in the early afternoon. All teams came out and played hard from the get go, with “The Dimes” looking unbeatable in pool play, therefore going undefeated. However, due to seeding and tournament mode they ran into a back to back with the Cobras. While “The Dimes” were able to hold on to a narrow 15-14 win in pool play, the Cobras then emerged victorious in semis, ending the “The Dimes” dream run. The second semi final game saw team Langara fight until the end, but the sovereign team “BallHers” stayed on top.
Our final game saw many people gather around the court and witnessing a great battle. Ultimately the Cobras pulled the upset of the day, beating out team “BallHers” in great fashion in a 17-14 win.
We would like to thank all women who have committed and played hard all throughout Summerfest, making this a memorable first Women’s tournament for Van3x. Congratulations to the Cobras, playing with Emily Chan, Kaitlyn Chan, Aria Johal and Stephanie Sofikitis.
Keeping the excitement created by the Women’s final going, Summerfest then provided a Dunk Show by some of Vancouver’s best Dunkers. Dipt Kicks, aka the Vancity store proudly sponsored a free pair of brand new sneakers for the winner, promising a competitive dunk off. Local legend “Demi Dunks” Demi Harris, his tag team partner Clay Crellin, absolute "Manimal" Alonzo Sule and the “Smooth Operator” Tyrone Asenoguan embarked in a 5 minute dunk session. Highlight after highlight later, the crowd voted for Demi Dunks and Ty to make our final round. With Demi flying over a fully equipped score stable, including score keepers, and Ty rocking the crowd with an “East-Bay” (between the legs), winning the Sneakers was really up in the Air! Ultimately, the crowd cheered just slightly louder for Tyrone, crowning him the Dipt Kicks Van3x Summerfest Dunk Champion!
Check out the below gallery with pictures from our awesome Photographers Justin Scott (@illcatchup) and Vivian Chan (@vchanvisuals)!!
With a full bracket of 12 teams, the mens competition saw many well know faces. Players came to the Richmond Oval from different High Schools, Universities, Basketball Clubs and even different countries. Pool play saw 3 of the 4 top ranked teams unbeaten, with Vancity Blue getting an early win against the number 4 ranked team “School of Handles”, which was led by Vancouver legend Joel “KING Handles” Haywood. The early victories earned Vancity Red, You Crane, Van State and Vancity Blue a bye to the quarterfinal round, with second and third placed teams entering the knockout stage one game earlier.
The promising young team “Irish Columbia”, comprised of rising SFU and UBC star freshmen Irish Coquia and Adam Olsen along Marcus Flores and Dylan Homenick, bounced back quickly after pool play and won both knock-out games, earning them a spot in the semi-finals.
In an unfortunate draw, Vancity Red was bound to face Vancity Blue in semi final action. Both teams fought until the very end, with Vancity Red emerging victorious in an incredibly entertaining game. Van State took home semi final 2 against the young guns 18-14.
The Final
Van State vs Vancity Red
This was a rematch of what we had seen at Cash Cup #1. Kobe McKnight (Capilano), Tyrone Asenoguan (Capilano), Dylan Kinley (UFV) and Brendan Sullivan (UBC) for Vancity Red. Tom Walter, Cole Williams, Jamesley Jerome (UBC) and Jordan Muir-Keung (SFU) for Van State. Vancity versus Van State. $1000 on the line.
A fast-paced back and forth went all the way down to the wire. Acrobatic layups, big shots, an insane Tyrone Asenoguan Poster (no for real, go check it out on Instagram!) and a game winning bucket by Dylan capped off an immaculate Summer Evening!
This one was for the community, for the people, for the love of the game. Van3x is just getting started!
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