3-on-3 basketball tourney thanks IU soldiers

Students can take shots to raise money for charity Saturday – basketball shots, that is.

The Business Careers in Entertainment Club is partnering with the IU Student Veterans Association to host the “King of the Court 3-on-3 Easter Classic” from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Ora L. Wildermuth Fieldhouse courts in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.

President of the IU Student Veterans Association Nicholas Bielinski said he contacted the Business Careers in Entertainment Club because he wanted to help host the event.

Registration is $30 per team and will be open until Saturday morning, but spots are limited.

President of the Business Careers club Brian Binkley, a senior, said the event is more than just basketball.

“We’re just trying to let students know it’s more than just a three-on-three tournament,” he said. “It’s a way to say thank you to IU student soldiers.”

He also explained donating to the event doesn’t mean students support the war, but that they support the people who are fighting the war. Proceeds benefit the Disabled Veterans of Indiana.

The tournament will be set up like the NCAA tournament, complete with seeds and brackets.

Besides basketball, the event will have free Mad Mushroom Pizza and drinks, 3-point and Hot Shot shooting contests and raffles.

“You don’t have to be playing in the tournament to be at the tournament,” Bielinski said.

The winning team will receive free food from Opie Taylor’s for a year.

Senior Mary Spangler, member of the Veterans Association, explained that there are IU veterans all around campus, but many students don’t realize who they are.

“There’s not a lot of people directly recognizing their peers,” she said. “It’s just something that’s overlooked a lot of the time.”