THE FRONT ROW with Jason Elliott, June 29, 2013

There’s something about playing in the 3-on-3 phenomenon that is Hoopfest in downtown Spokane.

It’s a lot tougher than it looks.

But believe me, it is a lot of fun.

SOME PLAYERS that compete year-round, either in baseball, basketball, football, they’re pretty well prepared for what to expect.

Especially with temperatures expected to reach the mid-90s by the time the afternoon games tip off, it might become even tougher.

A player gets injured, teams usually have another player that’s just as good ready to step in and fill their shoes.

For those players that work in an office, it takes a lot more than just lacing up their sneakers and just hoping for something good to happen. Sometimes you need to break out of the office and get some shots up somewhere.

No matter how ready I was for the tournament — or thought I was — within 10 minutes of playing, I was finished.

Just because you’ve got a hoop in your backyard or driveway, it won’t be anything like playing in the middle of Spokane — unless you’re used to playing with traffic moving around you and fans sitting right along the streets watching your every move.

And with the rules a little different than your ordinary NBA game — calling your own fouls, etc. ... sometimes games get a little more chippy near the end of the day.

Winning, that was always another story for our team.

Often times, our teams wound up in the consolation bracket after losing both games on Saturday, then getting knocked right out again on Sunday morning.

A couple of times, we’d accidentally win a game, but a championship never happened.

It was always fun while it lasted, even if we lost a lot more than won.

When injuries began to take their toll, and instead of risking another knee, thumb or ankle injury, it has just been nice not to have to worry about playing in the tournament again.

At least for now.

OVER THE last two years, there has been some great stories when it comes to how teams were formed.

Some to pay tribute to their coach, others playing with their high school coach and others just wanting to play as a family.

And I’m sure there’s a ton of teams this year that are doing it for all the same reasons.

At least 26 teams are paying tribute to the Sonics, that team that once upon a time played some preseason games in Spokane.

Basketball is supposed to be fun — and for a while this weekend, it will be for those teams on the streets of Spokane.

Other times, you’ll wonder why you want to put yourself through going to watch it.

But it’s definitely worth it after the tournament ends.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].