Salem’s largest sporting event is having a homecoming this week. Since 1999, Oregon Hoopla has drawn thousands of athletes, fans and curious pedestrians to city sidewalks for street basketball. In its first year, 151 teams played on courts set up along Court Street on the north side of the Capi tol. The event had to move in 2023 to State Street due to long-term construction on the Capitol. With construction fences slowly coming down around the building, the event’s 27th year will mark Hoopla’s return to Court Street. “It feels like we’re back home,” tournament director Jason Unruh said. Unruh has been organizing Hoopla since the beginning. It began as an idea by Unruh’s father, Carroll Unruh, and local businessman Jim Kniffin to help raise funds for a local drug and alcohol awareness. Though he thinks about Hoopla year-round, organizing the event became Jason Unruh’s second full-time job starting in April. As crews began closing down Court Street on Monday night, he was out to help put up the 60 courts that will soon fill with players and fans.  Starting Tuesday, July 21, Hoopla will have over 1,000 basketball teams, around 5,000 athletes and roughly 50,000 visitors over the next six days. It is Oregon’s largest 3-on-3 street basketball tournament and the second largest in the country. Unruh still gets choked up talking about how Hoopla has grown.  “It’s so much more than basketball. It’s like a big old family reunion for the city of Salem, and it’s such a great way to showcase our community,” Unruh said. “I’m just very proud of what we’ve created.” Though Hoopla is a heavy lift to organize each year, the community keeps Unruh going. “Last week I was just like, “Man, I can’t wait till it’s over’ … and my daughter, Amy, said, ‘Dad, just always remember how many people you make happy,’” Unruh recalled. Making this year even more special for Unruh is the reunion of his high school basketball team. Unruh graduated from South Salem High School in 1990, and this will be the first time the five seniors from his team, including himself, reunite to play in the 50+ division. “I don’t know that we’ve played together since our senior year. So, I mean, it gives me chills talking about it,” Unruh said. “We’re all competitive, but I think more than anything, we’re just excited to put on the same uniform together one more time.” The following streets will be closed to traffic until 10 p.m. Sunday, July 26: Court St. N.E. between 12th Street N.E. and Church St. N.E. Waverly St. N.E. between State St. and Court St. N.E. Winter St. S.E. between Court St. N.E. and Chemeketa St. N.E. Cottage St. N.E. between State St. and Chemeketa St. N.E. Starting 2 p.m. Thursday, July 23, the following streets will also see closure: State St. between 12th St. N.E. and Cottage St. N.E. Winter St. N.E. between Ferry St. S.E. and State St. Hoopla’s first games start Tuesday night at 6 p.m., followed by men’s and women’s 2-on-2 games Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Thursday will start earlier at 9:15 a.m., with the Unified Basketball Clinic for middle and high school athletes. Kids can join in on the fun Friday at 10 a.m. during a free class teaching basketball fundamentals. The clinic will be led by Jason Conrad, owner of the Salem Capitals. There is no pre-registration required. Participants just need to check in and grab their free T-shirt.  Things will kick into full gear over the weekend, starting with the national anthem at 8 a.m. Saturday – one of Unruh’s favorite parts of Hoopla. “The national anthem Saturday morning is just something. It’s like so much hard work has gone into it to get us to that point,” he said.  Teams, including Unruh’s, will play three-on-three nearly all day Saturday and Sunday. Sunday will see the awards ceremony in the evening, presented by Unruh. There will also be food vendors, sponsor tables and DJ booths set up over the weekend.  The DJs give Hoopla a soundtrack, Unruh said. They spin upbeat songs day-round like Katy Perry’s “California Gurls,” which, according to Unruh, has become a Hoopla staple. Spectators can enjoy the music, food and basketball. During the week, people often bring their own basketballs to take advantage of empty courts. “You’ll see all kinds just picking up a ball and shooting, which is great with me. I mean, the more the merrier,” Unruh said. Most of Hoopla will be centered on Court Street with some games on the State Street side. Parts of Court, State and some neighboring streets will be closed to traffic until Sunday night.  Find a full schedule of Hoopla events here. Contact reporter Hailey Cook: [email protected] . “My go-to source every morning for accurate, local news.” Make Salem Reporter your trusted source for independent local reporting – every day. Stay informed and connected. Subscribe today. The post Hoopla comes home for its 27th year of street basketball  appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less