Even the most rabid college basketball fans won’t start paying attention to the sport again until preseason practice begins in the fall. But next weekend, coaches will begin assembling the tournament teams of the future when they descend on Pittsburgh to scout thousands of prospects from more than 600 AAU teams competing April 21-23 at Pittsburgh Jam Fest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown.
The three-day window is significant because it also marks the first time since the high school season ended that Division I coaches, per NCAA regulations, can evaluate players in person. Last year’s tournament attracted more than 200 coaches.
“We couldn’t ask for a better host city than Pittsburgh,” Rob Kennedy, president of Hoop Group, which organizes the tournament, said in a statement released by SportsPittsburgh. “We’ve seen Hoop Group Pittsburgh Jam Fest grow each year since 2006, and now, it’s one of the largest AAU basketball tournaments in the country.”
It isn’t just the boys who are getting the chance to impress. More than 300 girls teams will compete at the Western PA Bruins Spring Tip-Off, also at the convention center. Games began Friday night and continue through Sunday.
“You don’t play for first place or whatever,” said Ed Manfredi, 69, who coaches a ninth grade team for the Bruins. “Hopefully, some of these colleges will be interested.”
For the most part, the names of the tournaments’ players won’t register with fans. Many, like Aasim “Flash” Burton, a 6-3 point guard from Cardinal O’Hara of the Philadelphia Catholic League, have solid interest from mid-majors. Pittsburgh Jam Fest, whose notable alumni include Kevin Durant, Karl Anthony-Towns and Kemba Walker, is his chance to grab the attention of a Power Five program.
Manfredi’s daughter, Michelle, went through the Bruins program and became a standout at Niagara. “That’s what these girls are working for,” he said.
The convention center presents a unique atmosphere for basketball. The girls tournament, which features fourth through 11th grade teams, will use four halls with 18 courts. Multiple games are often played at the same time. Seven were scheduled to tip off at 12:20 p.m. Saturday.
The boys tournament, which has teams from eighth through 12th grade, tips off with four games at noon Friday. In addition to 26 courts at the convention center, four of which will feature a distinctive black color, the tournament also will be played at gyms in Monroeville, Mt. Lebanon and at Chatham University to accommodate the large number of teams.
SportsPittsburgh, a division of VisitPittsburgh, projects the tournaments to bring more than 17,000 visitors to the city. Earlier this month, the agency brought the NCAA women’s bowling tournament to Pittsburgh, and in March, NCAA women’s gymnastics.
“As we’ve seen over the last few months, youth, amateur and collegiate sports events are major drivers in Allegheny County’s tourism economy,” Jennifer Hawkins, executive director of SportsPittsburgh, said in a statement.
Rob is an associate sports editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike.