We made it down to Hoopfest in Spokane on our way out of town early Saturday afternoon and stopped in for a second to visit the Gonzaga booth. It was beyond crowded and noisy. I had hoped with all the rain it would be less crowded and afford us a chance to spend more time with Kyle Dranginis and Gary Bell, unfortunately, this ended up not being the case.
It was periodically pouring down rain but the crowds still were out in full force. I did snap a few pictures and also came away with an armful of trinkets such as autographs, tattoos, and "Zags Live in Seattle" record albums. There is no album, just the album covers. The free souvenirs are geared towards representing the annual Battle in Seattle game.
We said a quick hello to Gary Bell and Kyle Dranginis. I asked Gary how his foot was healing up and he said he was still getting physical therapy on it but that it would be fine for the season (remember he injured it during the heart breaking loss to Wichita State in the NCAA tourney). Kyle said he was working on getting stronger and hoped to be able to contribute more next season. They both felt like next season could be just as special as last season was.
The crowds were burning holes in our backs and we quickly moved along and headed towards the Bruchis Booth where we ordered the extremely popular Philly Cheese-steak. That, was some good eating! The basketball courts set up especially for this annual event seemed to be filled with players all trying to will their team to victory in the rain. What a mess. But, all the rain did help to keep the heat down.
Last year's Men's Elite winner, Douglass Properties, repeated as Hoopfest Champions. They were once again led by several past Zags including; Josh Heytvelt, David Pendergraph, and Alex Hernandez. Hoopfest is the largest three on three basketball tournament in the world.
Here are a few pictures of the action on Saturday:
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