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Star Correspondent

Looking to increase participation in youth basketball, league administrator Billy Etter has announced the opening of a new league.

“We are really excited about it, and it is called the Three Rivers Conference,” Etter said. “It is comprised of six basketball organizations within the Tri-Cities: Dobyns-Bennett, Gate City, West Ridge, Tennessee Middle School, Sullivan East, and T.A. Dugger Junior Cyclones. We will have teams for each grade—second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders.”

The idea stemmed from challenges faced by travel ball teams, where players and their families often had to stay at the host gym all day while waiting for games. To address this, the six teams decided to host their own games to create a more efficient schedule.

“We realized we could make a schedule, show up, and have what’s called Saturday play,” Etter said. “We will have two host sites—a host and a co-host—and we can get teams in and out. Teams can play their two games back-to-back or, at worst, wait for one game in between and then leave. We wanted to get in and out, give our kids playing time and actual game reps, and avoid having families in the gym all day.”

In Elizabethton, the Boys and Girls Club and T.A. Dugger will serve as the hosting sites. Other host locations include Gate City High School and Middle School, as well as Tennessee Middle School.

T.A. Dugger will host games on Dec. 7 and Jan. 11 for double-elimination tournament play. Sixth graders will play on Saturdays, with Dobyns-Bennett hosting on Dec. 14 and Sullivan East on Jan. 4.

“What makes me excited about this for basketball in Elizabethton is that we now have three ways for our kids in town to play,” Etter said. “We have our Junior Cyclone league, which is a member of the Carter County basketball league where teams play each other in the county—Cloudland, Hampton, Central, Valley Forge, Unaka, and Hunter. That gives us a true rec basketball league. The Three Rivers side is more competitive, more like a travel circuit, and allows us to play outside the county.”

Etter credited several individuals for helping get the league off the ground, including Matt Lewis, Matt Clemson, and Eric Stout. “These are the point men for this endeavor,” Etter said. “They have all played pivotal roles in this and have been huge for us.”

Another benefit of the league is that it allows kids of all ages and skill levels to participate, receive coaching, and be involved with the game of basketball.

“We wanted a way to get kids more involved in sports and offer them a way to stay engaged with organized sports,” Etter said. “Our goal, as coach Lucas Honeycutt and I discussed, is to get kids playing. We are super excited about that and the ability to get kids involved in basketball.”