By RICHIE HALL
sports@readthereporter.com
Some of the best young basketball players in the country are making Hamilton County their home for the weekend.
USA Basketball is hosting the 2022 U.S. Open Basketball Championships at two sites in the county: The Pacers Athletic Center at Grand Park in Westfield, and Finch Creek Fieldhouse in Noblesville. Tournament play began on Wednesday and is continuing through Sunday.
Both boys and girls are competing at the U.S. Open in five different divisions: 12U, 13U, eighth grade, ninth grade and 10th grade. Teams have come from all over the country to compete, from California to Massachusetts and all states in between.
Indiana has several teams, including several from Grand Park. Two were in action Thursday afternoon simultaneously at the Pacers Athletic Center: Grand Park Premier – 2024 Black and Grand Park Premier – 2024 Red. Both teams won their games easily, with Black beating Phills Sports Academy (Ill.) 88-33 and Red defeating Pick Enroll (Mass.) 95-54.
“I think the team is playing pretty well,” said Albert Bartee, one of the coaches for 2024 Red. “I think offensively we’re moving the basketball pretty well. I think defensively we could be a little bit better, but that’s just my higher expectation of them. But we’re getting there, locked in defensively.”
Teams are currently competing in pool play, with bracket play to begin on Saturday and continue on Sunday. Admission is $5 through Saturday, with children under 6 free. Championship Sunday is free to all spectators.
Jaxson Bell of Grand Park Premier – 2024 Red takes a 3-point shot. (Richie Hall)