With more than 50 Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournaments nationally, some may think the Ironton event, now in it’s second year, would be just another competition.

That is not the case according to event founder Scott McNeal, who visited Ironton Tuesday afternoon. He said that the Ironton tourney, which is one of the earlier events, has become a warm-up for many players.

“There are several tournaments just in Ohio,” said McNeal, who founded the event in his Michigan driveway in the ‘70s. “This is where they come to start.”

The charity event drew thousands to the city last year and organizers said that they expect the 170 teams that participated last year to grow to 300 for the 2006 iteration, May 20-21.

As he stood at the corner of Vernon and Second streets, which will be the heart of the action in May, McNeal said that not only was this the only tri-state Macker tourney, it was also one of their quickest starters.

“In our last five years, one of our most popular first year events was here last year,” McNeal said. “That’s just being honest. There’s been a lot of excitement here, people really seemed to like it.”

Cheryl Bolender, Friends of Ironton member, was also hyping the event, which raised $10,000 for her grassroots civic improvement group.

“This is a family, youth-focused event, which is what Friends of Ironton is all about,” Bolender said. “So we’re really excited about that for our community, so we want to invite everybody out to come and join us.”

McNeal shared Bolender’s enthusiasm, and said he only expected the Ironton event’s popularity to grow.

“It’s kind of the kick off for the Midwest,” McNeal said. “I think that’s a big deal to a lot of the teams traveling the circuit.”

The popularity is such that McNeal said he’ll be attending this year’s event in person.

Registration for the tournament is available at www.macker.com, or by calling Friends of Ironton volunteer Joyce Lynd at (740) 533-4341. The fee for four-man (or woman) teams to register is $108.

Teams must mail their registration by May 12, or sign up online by May 15. High school players are encouraged to check with their local athletic director to ensure compliance with state rules on tournaments.