July 29--LIMA -- Ever since Alexander Wolff featured it in a Sports Illustrated article in the mid-1980s, the Gus Macker tournament has been the standard bearer for all other 3-on-3 basketball tournaments. This Saturday, Lima gets its first taste of the Macker.

Don't confuse the Gus Macker with just another outdoor basketball tournament. Its reputation draws some of the top basketball players, many with collegiate backgrounds, to its ranks. It's highly organized, with a long set of rules and regulations, not just a glorified pick-up game.

"People really don't have an idea because they haven't seen anything like it," Warren Pughsley said. "So many people hear 3-on-3 and they think it's backyard basketball or driveway basketball. They don't understand how big these events can be."

Pughsley is helping put on the tournament, which will be all day Saturday on the campus of OSULima/Rhodes State. Getting the word out has been difficult, according to Pughsley, because no one has an accurate idea of what this tournament is or could become.

"It's been a struggle for the simple fact that people don't understand what the event really means," Pughsley said. "It's difficult to go to a business and tell them this is going to be a huge event when they don't understand how it could be. After seeing it this year, they'll have more of a grasp on what this event means."

The first Macker tournaments were in 1973 in Lowell, Mich., and they've spread to cities like Fort Wayne, Columbus and Cleveland.

Findlay used to have a Macker tournament. When that competition folded, Pughsley and Chris Jackson decided to have a local 3-on-3 tournament, with the help of Barry McEwan and Vanessa Wade of Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth.

It didn't take long before the Macker people got on board, wanting to replace the stop in Findlay, and a contract was signed to bring the tournament to Lima for at least the next three years. Provided it's successful, there's no reason Lima couldn't become a permanent fixture on the Macker schedule.

"Like anything else, the first year is a catapult year in either direction," Pughsley said. "We're looking two or three years down the road. You've got to sow the seeds before you reap the harvest. We're trying to make this a great event so our community can benefit from it three or four years down the road."

Pughsley sees the tournament generating increased business locally, from hotels and gas stations to restaurants and shopping centers. He wants those out-oftowners visiting for the weekend to all drive away with a positive impression of Lima.

"This year we're not going to make a profit, but we understand we're looking to the future," Pughsley said.

The list of entrants is more than four pages long, numbering more than 320. There are some familiar names, including local high school stars, college players and some standard Lima basketball names.

The team names range from the simple Team Lima to the more adventurous The Fantastic Four and Bean City Ballers. The teams are split into divisions based on gender, age, height and ability, with 11 divisions running the different classes.

"You're going to have your courts where guys are out there to have fun, do what they can do to enjoy themselves," Pughsley said. "You're going to have the young kids trying to get their games off the ground, trying to prove who the best is in their age group.

"On the top men's court, you're going to have some very competitive games, between guys who played college basketball. It's not going to be a 'Let's see who can have the most fun doing it.' It's serious basketball."

The weekend kicks off with a special basketball game at 7 p.m. Friday night at the Lima YMCA, in honor of former Lima Senior and University of Findlay basketball star Anthony Thompson. The game will feature local heroes like Travis Walton, Quincey Simpson and Clay Tucker, along with many other recognizable names.

Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for students and $2 for Gus Macker participants with a wrist band. Proceeds will benefit the Anthony Thompson Scholarship Fund.

The game was set up for Friday night to help boost the Macker tournament the following day. It's just another example of what Pughsley hopes sets the Macker apart.

You can comment on this story at www.limaohio.com.

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