Samahang Pilipino hosts hoops tournament to raise scholarships

Talking, yelling and the bouncing of basketballs reverberate throughout the Student Activities Center gymnasium.

Over six different half-courts, basketball players are warming up. Samahang Pilipino’s annual Hoop-A-Thon – a three-on-three, co-ed, single elimination basketball tournament – is just minutes away.

A voice blares over the microphone, “Each game will have 30 minutes … get ready.”

Nearly a hundred students, more than half of which were competitors, gathered Saturday for the event, which dates back to eight to nine years ago. Some played, some watched, others organized and administrated, but all showed up for a good cause.

The tournament is a fundraiser for two to three scholarships, depending on how much money is raised, given to financially burdened students either at Belmont High School, El Camino College or Samahang Pilipino Education and Retention (SPEAR) students from UCLA. Each participant made a minimum donation of $10 at registration.

“These are students who have stuff going on in their lives that is making it harder for them to access high education or really get to their goals they want in life, and one of those burdens is financial strain,” said Regina Capistrano, a third-year nursing student and assistant director for Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community Empowerment (SPACE), one of the programs directly benefiting from the event.

After six jump ball tip-offs occured within a minute’s time, the games were underway. They were regulated by a running clock timing two 12-minute halves and featured a mix of competitive action and feel-good fun.

On a particularly lively court, players touted their skills by exposing tight holes in the opposing defense. One player dribble-drived to the hoop, slicing to the rim between two defenders and the heart of the defense for a well-earned lay-in. Moments later, the opposition retaliated with a nifty give-and-go from the post, drawing a few “ahhs” from fellow players.

As in any recreational tournament or game, trash talk and showmanship are a given.

In one instance, a girl caught the ball four feet behind the three-point line and drained a long ball. She snapped her hands in the air, smiled and mouthed a few words at her opponents, all in good fun.

“Mostly this (tournament) is for the students that we service, but it’s also about bringing everyone together and having a good time,” said Jonathan Evanculla, a third-year psychobiology student and member of SPACE.

The first round of games came to an end, and players walked off the courts, smiling, high-fiving and looking for a breather. Competitors talked and joked as they waited for the second round of action.

“I think what’s different about this tournament is that it brings people who don’t know each other or who are not part of the same organization together,” Capistrano said.

“And it’s cool because then you’d expect that they’d get pissed off at each other, but you know at the end of the day, they’re really very supportive of each other,” she said.

For some players like Carissa Villanueva, a first-year biology student,the tournament is an opportunity to reassemble their Intramural Sports basketball teams and jump right back into the fray.

“It’s actually pretty nice because I’m a first year and everyone else (on my team) is a fourth year, so it’s like our last time together,” she said.

For other players, like Julius Palaroan, a third-year sociology student and SPACE member, the tournament isn’t much about basketball.

“At the end of the day, it’s all for a good cause,” he said.