Summer hoops heats up in Louisville with 'Run 4 Roses' tournament

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Summer basketball is in full swing and Louisville becomes one of the hubs for AAU competition over the next month.

The "Run 4 Roses" girl's basketball tournament just started Tuesday and it's the second of six events at the Kentucky Exposition Center over the next few weeks.

How big is it?

"92 courts, over 1400 teams," said event organizer Tucker Neale. "It's the largest basketball event in the history of the world."

OK, so pretty big.

Neale and his team have been running this and other summer events in Louisville for six years and opening days always present challenges.

"Once it gets rolling, it's a much easier process but getting it rolling is the hardest part," said Neale. "Making sure scorekeepers are here, referees are here, all the fires you've got to put out. Making sure all the staff is here, the teams are here, everyone's registered, everyone's paid. All those pieces are a logistical nightmare."

This year's event has expanded beyond just basketball with the "Roses Fest." It's a separate area that includes contests and videos and even getting your hair done. It also provides some history of the game from the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and a muscle recovery station.

"This is how the pros recover," said Robyn Gray of Dallas-based Elixir Muscle Recovery. "What we want to teach is that recovery is preventative therapies so that you can stay in the game longer, keep healthy limbs and keep healthy joints and ligaments so that you can perform at your highest level possible. No other tournament in the country is doing it like this."

"We're all about basketball," said Tennessee Lady Volcanoes coach Chris Sizemore. "That's where we want to be. We want to be on the court. But we know this is huge for the girls. They've got to have that excitement. But I think the excitement here can spill over there and get them fired up for the court. So this is great."

Neale credited a number of entities for making this such a success.

"The support we get from the CVB (convention and visitors bureau), from the Sports Commission from the Expo Center, it's been a great partnership," said Neale. "So they get the value that we bring and we get the value that they bring and it's become a win-win for all of us."