GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — 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.
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.
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.
"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."
Cranson said basketball has helped him build lasting friendships, and he hopes the tournament gives others the same opportunity.
"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.
Community leaders said events like the tournament help strengthen connections in a neighborhood they believe is often overlooked.
"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."
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.
"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."
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.
"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.
Abraham said the tournament gave him a new perspective on his own neighborhood and the people who live there.
"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.
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