Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
THE GUS MACKER 3 x 3 basketball tournament - known for encouraging participation from all ages and skill levels - takes over M-28, next to Sunday Lake in Wakefield during the past weekend when it returned to the city for the third year in a row while also celebrating the event's 50th anniversary. The drone image was taken on Saturday.
By MEGAN HUGHES
Wakefield - The Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament returned last weekend for the third year in a row to Wakefield, and this year was bigger and better than ever.
"We have the biggest crowds and the most vendors that we have ever had this year," said Michael Grayson, the team lead organizer.
Gus Macker started down in Belding, Michigan, in 1971 by Bryce McNeil. Originally held in his own driveway, the tournament grew and grew, and now thousands of teams participate each year.
It is now Gus Macker's 50th anniversary, according to Grayson. "This year, there are 30 tournaments across the U.S," he said.
The tournament in Wakefield started when city manager Robert Brown Jr. spurred on the idea of bringing the Macker to town, having grown up in the Belding area.
"It took about a year to build the team to get this going," said Grayson, "Our volunteers are amazing. They walk in and do all this work, from the local basketball teams, to the volleyball teams .... It's huge, it's the biggest part of this."
This year, the Wakefield tournament saw 138 teams participate in the tournament across all age groups, each team having a minimum of four members. Grayson estimates around 530 players participated locally this year.
"Once you get here, and once you see what this is, it's hard to not say 'I want to be a part of this,'" said Grayson.
According to him, teams travel from as far away as Chicago and Minneapolis to compete in the Wakefield tournament, and some of these teams spend their summer traveling from Macker to Macker, competing in tournaments.
Grayson's favorite part of the tournament is seeing everybody enjoying themselves, the community coming together and the overall unity that the tournament inspires in a community.
"We get a pretty good crowd," he said.
One of the crowd favorite events of the tournament was held on Friday, with local firefighters, police forces and more playing a 3x3 game for charity.
Grayson said this year's $150 charity game proceeds are going to DOVE Inc. in Ironwood.
