Grand Sponsor

Hello and welcome to March Madness 3-on-3.

March Madness 3-on-3 was the idea of David Hellman, a Jewish Congregation of Kinnelon(JCK) member. Looking for a way to raise funds for the JCK's community outreach program and the general fund, David turned to a sport he and his family have always liked. He asked other JCK members and people in the community about the idea of having a basketball tournament that would involve the entire community. The response was encouraging.

It was from this initial idea and encouragemt that the March Madness 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament was founded. The first tournament was held in April 2006. The turnout involved mostly people from Kinnelon. They filled the Kinnelon High School Gym that Sunday with 25 teams from 4th graders to men and women in the 40+ division. The community involvement was awesome. The tournament generated a buzz during the following weeks. David knew that next year could be even better.

March Madness 3-on-3 2007 planning started early and the amount of people involved in coordinating and organizing grew exponentially. David shared the Tournament Director role with Michael Elstien, another JCK member who helped David in the first tournament. Together, they were determined to grow the 2007 tournament. Through online registration, a web presence, community outreach programs, distributing flyers at area recreation games and through cooperation with Boys and Girls Clubs, the 2007 tournament swelled to over 75 teams. Teams were registering from all over Northern NJ. We also had teams from Staten Island, Allenton PA and Philadelphia PA. The tournament was held in two different gyms across town and involved over 40 volunteers.

The night before the tournament gave David and Michael a scare. A rare March blizzard dumped over a foot of snow on the ground and continued through the very early morning hours. Luckily, the snow stopped around 4 AM. The custodians at the Pearl R. Miller and Stoneybrook schools worked dilligently to clear the snow from the parking lot and sidewalks. The roads were passable and the tournament was ON. It was remarkable that all but two teams arrived.

New in 2007 were:

• 2nd and 3rd grade divisions that were extremely popular
• A 3-point shooting contest
• A free throw shooting contest
• A 3-on-3 clinic by Tim Capstraw

Running a tournament this large became a daunting task. David and Michael quickly realized they needed standards and processes, not only to make the tournament a success, but to provide volunteers, participants and parents an organized way to get and disseminate information. The process and standards put in place in 2007 will once again be used for 2009, with some player and parent recommendations.

The 2009 March Madness 3-on-3 tournament is ramping up.

New this year are:

• Official Basketball Referees
• Round Robin play for all brackets. This will allow us to schedule all games in advance so every team will know before the tournament when they are playing.

February 14, 2009 was the offical launch day for March Madness 3-on-3 2009. Flyers were distributed at Kinnelon Recreation games. The Junior High School boys and girls were in the playoffs and flyers were distributed at those games in Whippany and Wharton. The Web site at www.MarchMadness3on3.com and www.mm3on3.com saw content uploaded. But most of all, the BUZZ was starting swell again.

If you played last year, come back, you know how fun it was. If you have not played before, come on down. The fee is reasonable, the fun is unbelievable, and the experience will be talked about until you sign up again next year.

The March Madness 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament and Skills Competition is quickly becoming the most talked about 3-on-3 tournament in Northern NJ.

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