How to Run a 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament on One Gym and a Saturday

NBA season is back, and that's usually when someone at the gym, the church or the office says, "We should do a 3-on-3 tournament." Good idea. Three-on-three needs only half a court, keeps everyone touching the ball and turns over games fast. Here's how to run one that finishes before dinner.

Use simple, familiar rules

You don't have to invent anything. The FIBA 3x3 rules are a solid base, and most players have seen them:

• Half court, one hoop.
• Baskets inside the arc are 1 point, shots from behind it are 2 points.
• First team to 21 wins, or the higher score after 10 minutes.
• After a defensive rebound or a steal, take the ball behind the arc before you can score.
• After a made basket, the other team inbounds from under the hoop and works it back out.

For a rec crowd, "call your own fouls, no blood, no foul" plus one neutral volunteer for disputes works fine.

Count your courts first

Everything depends on how many hoops you have. A standard high school gym with two full courts gives you four half courts, and four games at once is a different event than one.

A rough math check: with 10-minute games and a few minutes to switch, each half court handles about four games an hour. Sixteen teams in pool play is 24 games, so on four courts that's about an hour and a half.

Pick a format

Up to 8 teams: Two pools of four. Everyone plays three games, then the top two from each pool go to semifinals.

12 to 24 teams: Pools of three or four, with the top one or two advancing to a single-elimination bracket. Seed the bracket by pool record so the strongest teams don't meet early.

Big community event: Split into divisions (high school, open, 35-and-over) so the 16-year-olds aren't running grandpa off the floor.

Small details that matter

• Rosters of four. Three on the court plus a sub covers injuries and late arrivals.
• Set a check-in time 30 minutes before tip-off, and start the first game on time.
• Post the tiebreakers for pool play: head-to-head, then point differential, then points scored.
• Have a ball for every court, plus a spare.
• Water and a first-aid kit. Someone will roll an ankle.

Wrap it up right

Keep the championship on the main court and stop the other games so everyone can watch. A cheap trophy and a team photo do more for next year's turnout than any prize.

To skip the clipboard, tournament99 builds your pools and bracket and gives players a live link to check their next game.