GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. \u2014 Basketball took center court on Grand Rapids’ West Side Saturday as players, families and neighbors gathered at Richmond Park for the first-ever West Side basketball tournament.<\/p>\n
Ten teams competed in the three-on-three tournament for a $1,000 grand prize, but organizers said the event was designed to do more than crown a champion.<\/p>\n
The tournament was organized through the West Grand Neighborhood Organization with the goal of creating a new community tradition while bringing more recreational opportunities to the city’s West Side.<\/p>\n
“I wanted to provide an opportunity for that on a bigger scale and do it on the West Side,” event organizer Chris Cranson said. “I think there’s not a ton of great basketball options over here on the west side.”<\/p>\n
Cranson said basketball has helped him build lasting friendships, and he hopes the tournament gives others the same opportunity.<\/p>\n
“When you love something or you have a shared love with somebody else, that’s something that you can really build a bond over,” he said.<\/p>\n
Community leaders said events like the tournament help strengthen connections in a neighborhood they believe is often overlooked.<\/p>\n
“We are a growing side of the community that doesn’t get a lot of love,” said Dee Jones, a board member with the West Grand Neighborhood Organization. “Our goal is to try to enrich people. What really makes us unique is just our care for each other and building a sense of community.”<\/p>\n
Maurice Baker, board chair and president of the West Grand Neighborhood Organization, said sports have a unique way of bringing people together regardless of their backgrounds.<\/p>\n
“When you’re playing basketball, it doesn’t matter who you are or what your background is,” Baker said. “You’re here together as a team with a focus to win.”<\/p>\n
For participants like Adam Yohannes and Yoel Abraham, the draw was the chance to compete. But both said they found something more once they arrived.<\/p>\n
“I think, especially with this kind of events, get yourself out there, keeping us all in the community. I feel like it’s a good thing,” Yohannes said.<\/p>\n
Abraham said the tournament gave him a new perspective on his own neighborhood and the people who live there.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t know all these people were kind of out here. I see, I see these people other places, and like I don’t really say anything to them, and and like I didn’t know they were so close to me,” Abraham said.<\/p>\n
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