On Saturday evening, the Michigan Sport Business Inclusion Community (SBIC) and Regular Hoops hosted a 12-team basketball tournament that attracted 100+ University of Michigan students (clips posted on my Instagram Story Highlights).
Here is why it was the best basketball tournament ever… a very unbiased opinion 😅
An unexpected turnout
I film pickup basketball at random times. And never publicly share when or where I’m recording.
So going into this event, I had no benchmark to measure if my Ann Arbor followers would attend a planned Regular Hoops event.
Thankfully they showed up and set the bar high.
While it was great seeing familiar faces at the tournament, it was surreal meeting people I didn’t personally know. Some discovered the event from friends while others had been following along on social media.
This filled me with joy and gratitude—needing a minute to take everything in.
A special moment
Don’t call me LeBron, but I knew the tournament would have a special moment.
They just happen at meaningful events.
For example, in the FIRST Overtime Elite (OTE) game, Bryce Griggs hit this three-pointer to send the game into overtime.
And in the FIRST Regular Hoops tournament, my guy Kyle drained a three-pointer to send the game into overtime. To make the moment more special, I had the perfect angle on the shot.
These things feel scripted. But when you’re so emotionally invested, magic just manifests.
Regular Hoops Apparel
I created Regular Hoops shirts exclusively for the championship game.
Apparel is one medium of connecting basketball fans to basketball culture, so gifting shirts to the finalist is the beginning of a larger brand strategy.
My target is for Regular Hoops apparel to be something people feel motivated to represent whenever they play basketball.
Closing Thoughts
Most recreational basketball tournaments are easily forgotten because nobody is recording the games. And even if they are, a community is not engaging around the special moments.
This feeling started Regular Hoops and has provided clarity whenever my mind is racing about the company’s next steps.
PS—Can you believe yet another similarity with Overtime?! If you enjoyed this, then you’ll also like reading how Overtime Elite (OTE) Arena inspired me.
And huge shout out to the “Mad Dawgs” for winning the tournament 🏆
Behold the magic 🪄
wish I was there :(