WOODLAWN — The World Basketball Festival opened Thursday with a victory for Chicago players, who crushed Washington, D.C., 89-60 in the first round of the Nike Tournament of Champions
The three-day festival kicked off Thursday at 63rd Street Beach with free basketball clinics, a chance for players to measure their skills and exhibition games between city all-star teams.
“New York is flashy, Chicago is more grind,” said Tony Campbell, who watched his coach from the Chicago Unity team crush the D.C. team.
The top league players from Chicago faced off against New York on Thursday night.
“The level of the guys really determines how fun it is to watch,” said Jamie Daniels, who was visiting from Newark, N.J. “Quarters one through three are mostly about style and then, if it’s close, they really start playing.”
He said he was going to check out a game later, but early on Thursday afternoon, he was helping his 8-year-old son measure his vertical jump.
“My oldest is competitive, so he liked that he could see how he stacked up,” Daniels said.
The courtyards of the beach house were crammed with machines spitting basketballs at 13-year-olds trying to up their free throw average with a new pair of Nikes.
“They feel pretty nice, but they’re kind of big and bulky,” Avante Price said after taking off a pair of Nike hyperdunk shoes being demoed at the festival.
Price, 13, convinced his mom, Victoria Price, to cart him down from Evanston with the lure of free clinics. Victoria wasn’t the only one to hear that siren’s song of basketball clinics for kids.
“We have them — but they’re not free,” said Annette Tang, who trekked down with her two sons and one of their cousins from Waukegan for a day of basketball just blocks from her old home in Englewood.
Tang said she was going to miss the three-on-three tournament that starts on Friday, but would catch the game between the men’s Olympic team and Brazil at the United Center on Saturday night.
The festival will offer free two-hour basketball clinics Friday and Saturday.
The weekend will cap off with a reunion for Chicago players at 4 p.m.
The schedule for Friday and Saturday includes:
Friday
11 a.m. Nike Tournament of Champions Game: NYC vs. D.C.
12:30 p.m. Nike Tournament of Champions Game: Chicago vs. Los Angeles
1 p.m. FIBA 3x3 World Tour
4 p.m. USA Men’s National Team Skills Clinic
5 p.m. Nike Tournament of Champions Consolation Game
7 p.m. WINCITY All-Star Game (local Chicago celebrities)
8 p.m. Nike Tournament of Champions Finals
Saturday, Aug. 16
10 a.m. FIBA 3x3 World Tour Championships
Noon Chi League Pro-Am Consolation Game
2 p.m. Chi League Pro-Am Championship Game
4 p.m. Chicago Basketball Family Reunion with special music performances
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