Exciting bball tour coming to town

The Burger King Quest 3X3 basketball tour comes to Rotorua this weekend. Photo/File

The Burger King Quest 3X3 basketball tour comes to Rotorua for the first time this Saturday.

And for the winning men's team, there is the added incentive of an all-expenses paid trip to the FIBA World Masters 3X3 Tour in either China or Japan next year.

The tour opened on the North Shore last weekend and runs through until April 2. Along the way it visits 14 locations throughout the country.

Event director David Huxford said Rotorua had long produced great basketball talent and was a region that he expected would take quickly to 3X3.

"Rotorua and the central North Island is a hotbed of talent, especially in the younger age groups. But it also has a strong community who enjoy the game in a relaxed environment and format, which is exactly what 3X3 provides.

"Teams can come together socially on the day, they can be from schools, clubs or just a group of friends - that is very much the nature of 3X3, it is a pick-up style of game with a real freedom of expression about it. The Burger King Tour is welcoming of players of all abilities - the more serious come to challenge for the finals while others are more focused on fun and the social side of the day."

3X3 (pronounced 3-on-3) is fast becoming a global sensation, with a professional world circuit, known as the World Tour, played in some of the world's most iconic locations. The Burger King 3X3 Quest Tour is New Zealand's selection platform to send a team to the World Tour Masters in Asia.

Each winning team in the open men's category from the regional events will have the opportunity to vie for the title at the World Tour Qualifier final.

The Burger King 3X3 Quest Tour includes U14, U16, U18 and Open for both men's and women's.

Online registrations for Rotorua this weekend will close at midnight tomorrow.

There will be on-the-day registrations, depending on availability, up until 9.15am at the event venue, the Rotorua Energy Events Centre.