<p>Maegan Murray photo Team iHopp goes head to head with team Sunnyside Heat Saturday during the ninth annual Takin' it to the Streets three-on-three basketball tournament on Main Street in Hermiston.</p>

HERMISTON A multitude of factors brought athletes of all shapes and sizes from near and far to the 9th Annual Rockstar Takin it to the Streets 3-on-3 basketball tournament on Main Street in Hermiston Saturday and Sunday.

It was a business trip for some, like the area powerhouse foursome of Kris Groce, Shawn Brooks, Jimmy White and Curtis Carlson, whose Hand Down Man Down squad won its third consecutive Coors Light Mens Open title.

Their 2014 title was no different than the two before it. Two days of competition, no losses and a convincing championship final, this time a 20-11 win over Team Elite.

The group acted as the tournaments main high-wire attraction, with frequent dunks including a ferocious one-handed dunk from the 6-foot-5 Carlson for the championship games 19th point and an alley-oop connection from Groce to Carlson to punctuate the win.

It must be getting old doing this every year, main court announcer Jonathan Hoover said over the public address system while the group posed for pictures with their championship T-shirts.

But White offered this simple rebuttal.

Winning never gets old. Winning is always young.

The group competed against each other at various northwest community colleges before teaming up after graduation to dominate the regional circuit. The tournament is one of a host of stops the group makes a summer; Spokanes Hoopfest, the Boise BAM Jam and Walla Walla Peach Basket are also on the list.

Its just a chance to get away from work and hang out with the guys for a weekend, Carlson said.

For others, like the Gammell family, the two days in July proves that nothing brings family together like the game they love. Tracy Gammell, the treasurer on the tournaments board, acts as one of the tournaments key organizers before switching roles to head cheerleader for her sons Garren and Landon. Their team, No Clue, won this years Mens 6-feet-and-under Recreational title while she yelled encouragement from the sideline.

Tracys parents, as well as her daughter Reily also volunteer during the weekend.

Its a family event for us, Tracy Gammell said. Everybody has a job.

The Gammells werent the only family drawn in by the tournaments allure. Of the 183 teams, and some 700 participants, Jake Keady and three high school basketball teammates came the furthest. Keady, who attends Spanish Springs High in Reno, Nevada, is the nephew of former Hermiston High athletic director Mike Kay and used the hoops extravaganza as an opportunity to visit his uncle.

Unfortunately the group didnt celebrate a title, finishing with a 2-2 record in the 12th grade high school boys division won by Irrigon, but the trip was not made in vain, Keady says.

We had fun, he said. We wanted to win, but there are some pretty good teams out there.

All of the tournaments proceeds go to support the Hermiston High boys, girls and AAU basketball programs. According to tournament director Larry Usher, the weekend typically raises between $8,000 and $10,000 that goes to equipment costs and assistant coaching salaries.

Figures for this years event have not been finalized.

The district can only fund so much, Usher said. So, for our coaches to get some equipment that they normally wouldnt have this is a great way to do that.

Because of its vision, the tournament creates willing volunteers out of program supporters and its players alike.

Boys varsity players Chase Knutz and Keegan Crafton were among the athletes to put in back-to-back in nine-hour volunteer schedules. The pair juggled refereeing, keeping score and posting brackets, with two games each day in the 12th grade high school boys division.

The kids are the ones working the tournament, Usher said. I think they deserve to have those nice things.

Contact Erik Skopil at eskopil@eastoregonian.com or (541) 966-0839.