More evidence of the rapid growth in basketball was on show at Mount Maunganui on Saturday.
The fourth Burger King 3x3 Quest tour drew record number of teams competing. The winners of the open men's grade will join the other 14 regional winners at the 2017 World Tour Qualifier Final, to be played in Auckland on March 25, with the top New Zealand team to go to World Tour Masters in Asia.
3x3 (pronounced 3 on 3), also known as street ball, is played three a side on one hoop. It is the largest urban team sport in the world (ESSEC study commissioned by IOC) with over 250 million players worldwide and is helping to grow the surge in basketball in New Zealand.
General Manager of the Tauranga City Basketball Association, Mark Rogers, says basketball participation continues to grow considerably as it becomes increasingly popular and more accessible.
"For the second year running Tauranga City Basketball has been running a summer series of 3x3 events over December and January. Numbers at the events have grown by almost 100 per cent so interest in the 3x3 game is definitely growing," Rogers said.