On Monday, the first year of the Neighbourhood Hoops program came to a close at the Burridge Gym, with a group of 60 Hamilton youth taking part in a three-on-three basketball tournament under the watchful eyes of McMaster players and coaches.

The project was developed in partnership between the City of Hamilton, the Eva Rothwell Centre, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hamilton, the Wesley Urban Ministries, the Beasley Community Centre and McMaster Athletes Care, and was piloted in Hamilton's Beasley neighbourhood this past year.

The program, the objective of which is to provide youth with the opportunity to participate in skills-based basektball development programming in their neighbourhood, saw the participation of approximately 100 children aged 9-14 in its first year of operation.

Monday's year-ending tournament saw 20 McMaster basketball players and members of both the men's and women's coaching staffs serve as guest coaches for the group of 60 kids on hand, who played through a three-hour tournament and were addressed by men's head coach Amos Connolly and the veteran duo of Taylor Black and Isabel Ormond.

McMaster Athletes Care is thrilled to have been a part of the program in its first season, and looks forward to many more years of valuable youth basketball in the Hamilton community.