SANDY — The Big Mountain Jam — one of the biggest youth basketball events to ever be held in Utah — tipped off on Tuesday at the South Towne Expo Center, and to mostly positive reviews.
"So far, so good," said Syracuse boys basketball coach Justin Nelson. "There are some good things and bad things. They've done a heck of a job of putting it together, and getting us all here and getting some good, quality teams. That's what we look for."
The Big Mountain Jam opened Tuesday with team camp competitions. Hoops experts such as Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Barry Hecker, Olympic gold medalist Natalie Williams and NBA referee Gary Zielinski were on hand to put on clinics.
Talen Tremea, a point guard for Syracuse High, said the first day of the event was educational — and a lot of fun.
"It's good," Tremea said. "You get to hang out with your friends all day and play basketball all day."
Basketball junkies can watch basketball all day at the Big Mountain Jam. The week's best action, however, will begin with tournament play on Thursday and continue through the end of the event on Saturday. There also will be skills competitions and 3-point contests — open to all comers — held later in the week.
Games at the Big Mountain Jam are played on SnapSports courts — which Tremea said took some getting used to. Players also had to adjust to the baskets.
"Breakaway rims would be nice, but other than that it's good," Nelson said. "We're excited about being here. It's a good thing for the state."
It's also a good thing for the varsity and sub-varsity high school teams that can play in a tournament atmosphere — and stay close to home at the same time. "You always have to balance the travel, where you're going, the cost," Nelson said of when deciding where to take his team for an offseason event. "It worked out really well to have it close to home. It's far enough to get our kids away and get them together, but not too far, either."
A total of 172 teams will participate in the Big Mountain Jam. Event organizers expect 1,500 spectators at a time. Nearly 400 games will be played at the event Thursday-Saturday.
In addition to the basketball heating up later in the week, there will also be a sports trade show and an ongoing team handball clinic held at the Big Mountain Jam. The sports trade show is sponsored by KFAN and will feature 30 booths.
"There are tons of things for families to do — and a lot of basketball," said Big Mountain Jam director Mike Killpack.
Angie Webb, the youth development director for USA Team Handball, said she's hoping to build more interest in her sport at the Big Mountain Jam. The top 24 women players in the country will be at the event, and will participate in training sessions and exhibition games.
There will be open times for anyone to play team handball from 12:30-2 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. The top 24 women players in the country will face the Salt Lake Handball Club's women's team on Thursday at 6 p.m. The U.S. team will play an intrasquad game Friday at 7 p.m.
"Anyone who wants to come play is welcome to play," Webb said. "One of our big things is to try and recruit kids from Utah and the surrounding states to come out and learn about handball."
Admission to the Big Mountain Jam is $7 for adults, $4 for kids ages 6-12 and $4 for seniors ages 62 and over. Kids 5 and under get in free. Parking is also free.
e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com