Two former Hoopfest executives, Rick Steltenpohl and Aaron Magner, will host a 3-on-3 basketball tournament in downtown Everett this July through their Spokane-based sports events and production company Eventuris LLC.

The tournament called Everett 3-on-3, which is sponsored by Boeing Co. and hosted in partnership with the city of Everett, will bring nearly 75 basketball courts to the city of Everett’s downtown streets on July 9 and 10.

Steltenpohl says he and Magner have discussed developing a 3-on-3 basketball tournament on the West Side of the state since the company formed in 2014.

“This is something that’s very grassroots. We’re not just being hired to do certain designated things. We’re responsible for every related thing, from getting the streets, working on a permit, laying it out, getting sponsors, and marketing the event,” Steltenpohl says.

Both Magner and Steltenpohl say the tournament isn’t designed to compete with Hoopfest, but as an additional basketball activity for teams to participate in this summer.

“When people talk to us, they mention Hoopfest, because they know we were once affiliated with that. And we always say Hoopfest is the greatest event I’ve ever been to,” Steltenpohl says.

Magner and Steltenpohl say the total cost of the tournament isn’t available yet, although smaller events, such as the Everett event, are expensive to produce and require sponsorships and grants to support operations.

Steltenpohl says the success of the event will be measured by community engagement as well as having enough teams registered to play.

Steltenpohl was previously a founding member and former Hoopfest CEO, and Magner previously worked as operations manager for the organization, before both stepped down to form Eventuris.

Steltenpohl is a principal and director of competition for Eventuris. Magner also is a principal and director of operations at the company. The two are the company’s only full-time employees although Steltenpohl says part-time employees are hired to work seasonally in the summer, which is Eventuris’ busy season.

“Our business is based wholly on bringing people together for events. And there was a drastic decline in the past couple of years,” Magner says. “People are excited to start gathering again and having these summertime activities and events.”

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