Carlsbad scores a slam dunk with city's first Gus Macker Basketball Tournament

Organizers of the famed Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament said goals were met for the first event in ever held Carlsbad Saturday and Sunday.

Richard Carrasco, a teacher and coach in the Carlsbad Municipal Schools (CMS), played at past Gus Macker events in Hobbs, Las Cruces and Ruidoso. He tried since 2021 to get Carlsbad as a stop for the national tournament.

He served as the event coordinator for the weekend basketball tournament which started in 1974 in the driveway of founder Scott McNeal in Michigan.

This year, the event featured a series of basketball games, along with other events and vendors at the Carlsbad Beach area.

More:National basketball tournament coming to Carlsbad

“We finally got everything lined out to where we got everybody on board to go along with the tournament,” Carrasco said.

Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway said the event was hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of Carlsbad and the City of Carlsbad along with multiple businesses.

Carrasco said the tournament raised about $40,000 for the Boys and Girls Club.

Held at different cities nationwide throughout the year, the Gus Macker Tournament emphasizes charity as an important part of each event, according to the group’s website.

Nate Banks, president of the Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors, said the youth-oriented non-profit looked at similar events to raise funds and bring more events to Carlsbad, eventually settling on Gus Macker.

“We didn’t know what to bring and we got together with Richard and this vision became a reality,” Banks said.

He said organizers had an original goal of 150 teams as the Carlsbad tournament exceeded original projections.

“That’s a pretty high goal for a first-year tournament,” Carrasco said.

More:Carlsbad gears up for Gus Macker

He said teams from Carlsbad, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Michigan played during the tournament.

“I am so excited to see these teams play. It’s going to be bigger and better each year,” Banks said.

Dylan Pimbley of Carlsbad’s Team Different said the tournament gave local players a chance to compete against out-of-state teams.

“As friends we wanted to come out here and just have a blast,” he said.

Pimbley said the four-man team, including a substitute, practiced the basics leading up to the tournament.

“Mainly just playing throughout the week after work (and) trying to run basic drills and getting some team chemistry going." he said. "We just wanted to come out here and have some fun."

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.