FERGUS – Back again for its third annual tournament in honour of Addison (Addy) Hill, is the Team Addy 3×3 basketball tournament.
Hoping to become Ontario’s biggest three-on-three tournament, if it’s not already, the event is a fundraiser hosted jointly by the Centre Wellington Celtics (CWC) basketball club and Team Addy.
“I coached Addison Hill for a couple of years,” said Andrew Abra, one of the several CWC volunteer coaches.
Addy was diagnosed with angiosarcoma, a form of rare and aggressive cancer, in October 2021.
CWC decided to throw a birthday party in July 2022 for Addy and raise money for cancer research and Sick Kids.
“As we got closer [to the fundraiser], she got sicker and sicker, to the point where it was going to be terminal,” Abra explained, adding the fundraiser was set for Addy’s 14th birthday on July 8 and was “super successful.”
Addy takes a shot on net during her time with the Centre Wellington Celtics basketball club. Submitted photo
“July is Sarcoma Awareness Month,” said Jessica Hill, Addy’s mom, explaining this was another reason why the tournament is held in July.
However, Addy died of her cancer on July 10, 2022 – just two days after the initial fundraiser.
Since then, the Team Addy 3×3 continues annually, and the last two tournaments have raised over $400,000.
This year’s event will take place at Centre Wellington District High School on July 12 and 13.
It is an OBA (Ontario Basketball Association) sanctioned event, and all games will be officiated by the Guelph Board of Approved Basketball Officials.
The top two teams in every division at the tournament will qualify for the OBA three-on-three championship held at the CNE in August.
Divisions this year include U10, U12, U14, U16 and U19, for both boys and girls who will play on the Saturday.
The Friday night will have adult divisions competing.
New this year “we’re trying to add an elite division, so university/college level players,” said Abra.
The elite division will have a gold medal game on July 13 at 1pm on the main court, with a $1,000 cash prize available.
More than basketball
Addy started wanting to play basketball at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jessica told the Advertiser Addy began “practicing in the driveway” until her friend “recommended that she try out for the rep team at Celtics.”
“She practiced and practiced and practiced, and she worked really hard and learned unbelievably quick,” said Hill.
“[She] was good at it and loved it and then she was just a diehard fan after that.”
Apart from just basketball, Hill said the fundraising event this year will also have other activities for the community to enjoy, including:
- food trucks and Scoop ice cream from Elora;
- a barbecue with drinks and treats for kids;
- carnival games “which are bigger and better” than the last two years;
- a prize booth with toys donated from Mattel;
- live bands;
- silent auction and raffle table;
- face painting;
- balloon animals;
- a caricature cartoon/sketch artist; and
- the crystal ball from the “Heal the Future” campaign at SickKids hospital.
Admission for the additional events is free.
“I just didn’t think it could get bigger and better, but here we are in 2024, and it will be bigger and better,” said Jessica.
She added Team Addy will have a booth at the event with “swag and merchandise” and will also be selling tickets to its ADDYtude concert coming up on Oct. 5.
“I’m looking forward to all the new things that we have… and just connecting with the community again, doing what we do best,” said Jessica.
“Raising funds for sarcoma research and for SickKids is what we’re all about.”
Participants at last year’s Team Addy 3×3 tournament tried out some slam dunks. Submitted photo
Other events
The CWC basketball club, which is run by volunteers, is hosting other events this year as well.
“We really pride ourselves on that not-for-profit, and it’s just a bunch of basketball enthusiasts that are providing basketball at a great price and at a pretty high level as well,” Abra explained.
The club has 16 rep teams, which are travelling teams this year, and a house league that runs Friday nights.
“There’s about 200 kids that are part of that as well,” he said.
The club also have an adult league that runs Wednesdays, and Abra said officials are looking to expand it.
Two or three summer camps will also be run this year. CWC will be hosting them, but has hired basketball coaches and players such as Kayla Pangos to run them.
For anyone interested in participating in the Team Addy 3v3 basketball tournament, more information and registration can be found at teamaddy.ca/events/3×3-basketball. The cost per team is determined by division.
Information and registration for other CW Celtic programs can be found at cwceltics.ca.
