Zanesville's driveways and parking lots are about to fill with hoops again. The Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament is set to return to the city on July 10-11, 2027, marking the first time the event has come back to town after roughly 15 years off the schedule.
The comeback follows more than a year of planning and preparation, according to WSYX, with organizers describing the moment they locked in the tournament dates as an emotional one. Dominique Proctor, executive chair of Gus Macker Zanesville, said confirming the dates brought her to tears after so much work went into bringing the event home. “I have to give all the glory to Jesus Christ because without him, I truly do not believe any of this would have happened,” Proctor said, per the station's report.
Zanesville hosted Gus Macker tournaments, with the last one taking place around 2011 or 2012, according to the Zanesville Times Recorder. During that period, Zanesville native and future NBA guard Kevin Martin appeared in a June 2007 tournament, as documented by the Sacramento Bee.
A Coalition of Local Partners
Bringing the tournament back has taken a wide coalition. Organizers behind Gus Macker Zanesville include local businesses, nonprofit organizations, community leaders, health care partners, schools, volunteers and residents, the article notes. That broad base has already translated into financial backing, with the event securing more than $42,000 in sponsorships so far.
The 2027 tournament will be held on the shared campus of Ohio University Zanesville, Zane State College, and the Muskingum County Family YMCA on Newark Road, according to AVC Communications. Plans call for outdoor courts, parking, overflow space, and food vendors at the site.
Chasing 250 Teams
To fill those courts, organizers have launched the Road to 250 campaign, aiming to recruit 250 teams to compete. The push is specifically targeting squads from central, southeast, and eastern Ohio, including the Columbus area. Public team registration for the tournament is expected to open on January 1, 2027, following the event's official addition to the national Gus Macker tour schedule before the holidays, according to Visit Zanesville.
Organizers say the tournament weekend is intended to create opportunities for young people, bring families together, support local businesses, and highlight community collaboration, while also welcoming visitors from outside the area. Information on registration, volunteering, tournament activities, and partnerships will be released in the coming months, organizers say.
How the Tournament Works
Gus Macker Basketball began in 1974 in Lowell, Michigan, when Scott “Gus Macker” McNeal and his brother Mitch launched an 18-player driveway tournament with an $18 purse, according to Epicenter Mt. Pleasant. The event expanded nationwide in 1987 and has since grown into a circuit, as described in a general overview by Wikipedia. It operates three-on-three tournaments across the United States with as many as 30,000 players annually, according to Epicenter Mt. Pleasant.
Four-player rosters are sorted into competitive divisions using computer analysis of average age, gender, height, and self-reported player experience, with co-ed teams automatically grouped into male divisions, according to official Gus Macker Basketball tournament rules. Student-athletes hoping to play may want to check applicable eligibility rules.
Part of a Wider Ohio Revival
Zanesville's effort is part of a local push to bring Gus Macker back to the community. The tournament model brings organizers, players, and families together for a weekend of competition and community activity.
For now, Zanesville's organizers are focused on hitting their sponsorship and team-recruitment goals ahead of the July 2027 weekend. With more than a year of groundwork already behind them and tears already shed over locking in the dates, the Road to 250 campaign marks the next test of whether the city can fill its courts the way it did in the tournament's earlier heyday.
