The Joint Effort Colorado Basketball Classic and Western Regional Tourney (Joint Effort Hoops Festival) soon will be here.
It will be held from April 4-9 and bring together the top boys and girls basketball players (fourth-to-12th-graders) from throughout Colorado for six days of highly competitive basketball.
This year’s layout will feature a Denver vs. Aurora game, a North vs. South game and club challenge games for Colorado’s top freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. In addition, there will be youth games for boys and girls, a slam-dunk contest, a 3-point shootout, visiting college coaches, 2016 Joint Effort Basketball awards, a free advanced youth skills clinic and an Old-Timers game.
Tryouts for all players who want to participate were March 26th and will be April 2 at Manual High School, 2800 Williams St., at 10 a.m. for ninth- and 10th-grade boys and (noon) for 11th- and 12th-grade boys.
Players, parents, coaches or anyone seeking additional information on games or tryouts for the Joint
Effort Hoops Festival can contact John Bailey at 303-745-9649 or 720-629-0964.
The 2016 Joint Effort boys player of the year is De’Ron Davis (Overland), who was the co-recipient last year with Brian Carey. The girls co-players of the year are Michaela Onyenwere (Grandview] and Jaz’myne Snipes [ThunderRidge]. The Denver Prep League boys player of the year is Jervae Green [George Washington] and girls player of the year is Sophie Nicks [George Washington].
The coach of the year is Danny Fisher [Overland] and girls co-coaches are Josh Ulitzky (Grandview] and Matthew Asik [ThunderRidge]; DPL boys coach of the year, Reggie Hammond (GW); and DPL girls coach, Tommie Beal (GW).
In addition, there will be presentations of the Joint Effort Basketball Lifetime Achievement Award to local pre-school advocate Anna Jo Haynes as well as Community Service Awards to CU Regent and Denver District Attorney Candidate Michael Carrigan; former DPS School Board Member Landri Taylor; community youth advocate Quincy Shannon; The Five Points Business District; and Colorado coaching veteran Mark Perlmutter. There will also be a special Joint Effort Community Recognition of 2016 Class 5A Colorado boys champion Overland, which went back-to-back, and newly appointed Denver University basketball coach Rodney Billups
Schedule:
Monday, April 4
At Manual
5 p.m. — Youth / Club Challenge Game
6 p.m. — H.S. / Club Challenge Game
7 p.m. H.S. / Club Challenge Game
8 p.m. H.S. / Club Challenge Game
Tuesday, April 5
At Manual
5 p.m. H.S. Girls Challenge Game
6 p.m. H.S. Club Challenge Game
7 p.m. H.S. / Club Challenge Game
8 p.m. H.S. / Club Challenge Game
Wednesday, April 6
At Manual
5 p.m. — H.S. / Club Challenge Game
6 p.m. — H.S. / Club Challenge Game
7 p.m. — H.S. / Club Challenge Game
8 p.m. — H.S. / Club Challenge Game
Thursday, April 7
At Manual
5 p.m. — Youth / Club Challenge Game
6 p.m. — Top Underclass Challenge Game
7 p.m. — Joint Effort Colorado Basketball Awards
7:15 p.m. — Senior Boys Challenge Game
8:15 p.m. — Senior Boys Challenge Game
Friday, April 8
At Manual
5 p.m. — H.S. Girls Challenge Game
6 p.m. — DPS Old Timers Game [GW/TJ VS E/M]
7:15 p.m. — Senior Boys Challenge Game
8:15 p.m. — Senior Boys Challenge Game
Saturday, April 9
At Manual
9 a.m.-noon — Free advanced youth clinic
Noon — H.S. / Club Challenge Game
1 p.m. — H.S. / Club Challenge Game
2 p.m. — H.S. / Club Challenge Game
3 p.m. — H.S. / Club Challenge Game
4 p.m. — Youth / Club Challenge Game
5 p.m. — Slam Dunk / 3-Pt. Shootout
5:30 p.m. — Senior Boys Challenge Game
6:45 p.m. — Senior Boys Challenge Game