ECU hosting Senior Games event

While Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh and Winston-Salem may be higher-profile basketball cities than Greenville, none of those locales have anything on Greenville when it comes to hosting the Senior Games state hoops championships.

For the past 15 years, Greenville has served as the host city for the 3-on-3 event, which this season is expected to feature more than 60 teams from all over North Carolina. According to the Greenville-Pitt County Senior Games coordinator Alice Keene, earning the right to host the state finals each year is a collaborative effort between her organization, Pitt County Community Schools and Recreation, ECU Department of Campus Recreation and Wellness, Mid-East Area Agency on Aging, Greenville Recreation and Parks Department and the College of Health and Human Performance.

In addition to those groups, Pitt County has the most teams — 10 — entered in this weekend's tournament, which begins today and will conclude with championship games on Sunday. From workers behind the scenes to the athletes on the basketball court, there's no doubting Greenville's love for the game.

“We're real proud of that,” Keene said of the 10 Pitt County clubs participating in the tourney. “Basketball is a big sport in our community and (the players) have a great time. They can play in their own age group so they can be really competitive. I think the competitive spirit is alive and well, no matter how old we are.”

Games are scheduled to start at the East Carolina Student Recreation Center at 9:40 this morning and last until 6:30 tonight. On Saturday, an opening ceremony will be held at 9 a.m., followed by pool play and the first round of championship games. The final set of championship contests are scheduled to start at 8 Sunday morning.

In addition to the men's and women's players who come to Greenville for the Games, there's also an influx of folks — friends, family, spouses — who travel with the athletes and Keene estimates that between 600 and 700 people will spend time in the city this weekend. But once the games begin, it's the action on the court that matters most.

“The other side of (competition) is the team camaraderie that we've all enjoyed over the years,” Keene said. “As we age, it's even more special. The whole meaning of team and all the things that go with teamwork, those things are very important.”

For more information on this weekend's tournament, visit ncseniorgames.org or call PCCSR at (252) 902-1975.

Contact Tony Castleberry at tcastleberry@coxnc.com or (252) 329-9591.