Purdue Northwest Hosts Their First 3 on 3 Pride Classic Basketball Tournament

Purdue Northwest Hosts Their First 3 on 3 Pride Classic  Basketball Tournament

The first annual Purdue Northwest Pride Classic Basketball Tournament took place today in Westville, IN. All proceeds from this event benefitted Purdue Northwest Students through the Dean of Students Fund, which addresses unexpected but immediate needs for assistance.

“This is a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and it’s benefitting our Dean of Students fund. I am the creator of the whole event. It’s been my whole project and from start to end, it’s been exciting,” Erika Lubeznik, Manager of Alumni Affairs for Purdue University Northwest, said.

20 teams signed up to take part in this event, and the Dean of Students staff was one of them. Though they admit that their basketball skills are not the greatest, but they are happy to support a great cause.

“We represent the Dean of Students office. We’ve been working so hard at the office that we haven’t been able to practice our dunking skills so we’re a little bit out of shape. We’re hoping to make our mark and not get injured,” John Weber, Dean of Students, said. “It’s a game run by Alumni Affairs, and we’re pretty excited about. Erika [Lubeznik] did a really nice job organizing it. We’re pretty excited to see how it goes for our first event and for the future too.”

The Ideas in Motion Media team was also playing in the tournament and faced some stiff competition in their pool, which included NBA player Mitch McGary. They may not won the title, but they had fun for a great cause.

"Our team had a blast playing - it was great from beginning to end. You can really tell it was well-organized and the Purdue Northwest team did a great job getting everybody in and ready for the games. We hope that the university is able to do a lot of good with the money raised for their scholarship program," commented IIMM team captain, Brett Fuller.  

Whether you are playing on the court, or just supporting a friend, family member or significant other, this event is open for all to enjoy.

“My boyfriend’s friend told him to come. I always come to see my boyfriend play, [and] this is nice. I’m enjoying it so far,” Emily Weber, attendee, said.

For those who missed this event, plans for the future are already being discussed. One of their goals is to be able to widen their audience to more community members.

“We’re going to have it at both locations. Next year we’re going to have it at Hammond so we’ll switch off every year. It's just to have a great time and get community members into our new building and get everyone out here to just play and have fun,” Lubeznik said.

For more information on other upcoming events at Purdue Northwest, click here