The Juneau Lions Club 69th Gold Medal Basketball Tournament starts Sunday morning at Juneau-Douglas High School.
Twenty-four teams from Hydaburg, Wrangell, Craig, Kake, Angoon, Haines, Klukwan, Hoonah, Yakutat, Metlakatla and Juneau will compete in a week of games.
Of the four divisions this year – one women’s and three men’s – Sasha Soboleff says the men’s B bracket is the most competitive and draws the biggest crowds (there is no A bracket). Soboleff is the president of the Juneau Lions Club.
“Most of the time it’s like war. You come and play and put it all on the line for your community,” he says.
Soboleff says a B bracket game will pack the gym with about 1,500 spectators. The tournament brings people from communities all over Southeast to the capital city.
“It’s the parents of the participating teams, their wives, their children, their grandmothers, and usually the only ones left in town are the people running the power plants because everybody else is in Juneau,” Soboleff says.
Gold Medal is the Lions Club’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Soboleff says the event has brought in up to $24,000. Money goes toward scholarships, eyesight assistance and donations to Southeast organizations.
Besides basketball, the tournament features Native dance groups, award ceremonies and a chance to win a brand new car. Finals start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. Last year’s champion B bracket team was Angoon.
