SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The oldest consecutive youth basketball tournament in the United States is back this weekend.
The YMCA Tri-State tournament will welcome thousands of players from the top teams in the region.
It’s the calm before the storm at the Sioux Falls YMCA. The gym there is one of the 14 sites in the Sioux Falls area for this year’s Tri-State Basketball Tournament.
“It’s a 24-hour-long tournament that we host second through eighth-grade boys and girls,” Sioux Falls YMCA youth sports coordinator Kade Stearns said.
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This is the tournament’s 95th year, and it’s an event that holds a special place in the heart of organizer John Archer.
“My experience started back when I was 12 years old as a sixth-grader playing for the Horseman Eagles, and we played in our first Tri-State tournament. Since that time, I’ve either been a player, a coach, referee or a volunteer probably for the 60 years since that time,” Archer said.
Archer will also get to watch his favorite player this weekend.
“I have a second-grade grandson. For the first time, one of my grandchildren are playing this year, and I can’t wait to watch it,” Archer said.
The tournament has grown since it began in 1930.
“It started as 16 teams back way in the day, and it’s evolutionized now to 90 to 100 teams every single year or so,” Stearns said.
“I think the reason we’ve continued it for 95 years is because we continue to try to make it better,” Archer said.
Which encourages teams to continue participating in the event year after year.
“I would say the coolest thing is just being able to see how many teams that continue to come back from the teams that are from 30 minutes away or an hour away. We have teams that hear about this tournament that want to come here to Sioux Falls and partake in it,” Stearns said.
“We have over 120 volunteers for every tournament, and it’s the same people that come back because they love the tournament,” Archer said.
The games will take place on Friday and Saturday. You can find more information on the tournament here.
