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Spokane Valley church takes its shot at Hoopfest-style fun with free Victory Hoops tournament
Victory Faith expects up to 2,000 attendees and nearly 300 players at its family-friendly 3-on-3 basketball event June 13, complete with free food, kid zones and a cash prize — and, pastors say, no agenda beyond showing love to the community.
By Ethan Bakogiannis | FāVS News Reporter
Main Points
SPOKANE, Wash. — Known as Hooptown, USA, to some, Spokane has a reputation for being the three-on-three basketball capital of the world. Spokane Hoopfest is the MVP of Spokane’s basketball culture, boasting 25,000 players and over 225,000 fans each year it takes over Downtown Spokane and Riverfront Park in June.
But before Hoopfest takes the court this summer, Spokane Valley’s Victory Faith church is subbing in and taking its shot at the hoops action.
Enter Victory Hoops, a free, family-friendly three-on-three basketball tournament inspired by Hoopfest, but rooted in faith, brought to life by the Victory Faith community. The event begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, and runs all day long at the church’s location in Spokane Valley.
“Basketball is such a big thing in our community, and so really I think the main goal of doing an event like this is really just to send the message that: We just love our city,” said Trevor Seaman, who, along with his wife Heidi, serves as lead pastor at Victory Faith.
A family-friendly answer to Hoopfest
Last held by Victory Faith in 2024, Seaman said he and his team expect up to 2,000 attendees at Victory Hoops in 2026. While the event saw 68 teams in its last edition, an additional 30 teams have registered, bringing the total participant count to nearly 300 hoopers.
While Spokane’s world-renowned Hoopfest offers an intense, sprawling, basketball-centered environment, Victory Hoops offers an event catered toward families. Seaman said Victory Hoops often has teams who play in the competitive bracket at Hoopfest, coming from all over the state to participate because of the family-friendly nature of the event.
“Hoopfest is all about the competition,” Seaman said. “It’s all about the players, win-lose. We thought, what if we did the same thing, but we made it attractive to families, so they could bring their kids. We have an indoor playground, there’s a kid zone for them, kid activities, bouncy castles, food, drinks.”
In addition to kid-centered activities, Victory Hoops offers free food and drinks all day long to players and attendees alike, as well as a cash prize to the winning team. The undertaking includes months of planning and organization by church staff and the help of a whopping 400 volunteers on the day of the event.
“People ask us all the time, ‘Why would you do this?’” Seaman said. “‘Why are you giving away all this stuff for free?’ And we’re like, ‘There’s no agenda, we’re just trying to show the love of God to people in a real, tangible, practical way.’”
As Victory Faith enters its 40th year as a church, Seaman said the organization takes pride in being a positive influence in its community and spreading its message through an event like Victory Hoops.
“The idea was to pull together our community and be able to just have fun together,” Seaman said. “And for us, obviously, as Christians, to be a light and to be a witness and to see people, love on people, encourage people, and just let people know we’re here, whether they have a need for a church in this season or 15 years down the road, we’re not going anywhere.”
Scoring a legacy in Hooptown, USA
Victory Faith emphasizes the fun of church and preaches that life with God is full of adventure. Seaman said that for those not seeking a church-going experience, Victory Hoops aims to provide a positive impact by showing love throughout the community.
“There’s a lot of people that won’t necessarily want to come to a church service or even inside of a church building, but to come into the parking lot and hang out outside, it’s kind of one of those things to just kind of normalize: ‘Hey, we’re just normal people, we’re just Christians, we’re here, we’re a church, we love you,’” Seaman said.
Seaman said his favorite aspect of the event was the amount of joy overflowing from those at Victory Hoops. With fun and community impact at the heart of the church’s mission for Victory Hoops, Victory Faith is scoring its own faith-filled legacy in Hooptown, USA.
“Hopefully we make an impact on people — if they have need of a church down the road or someone to reach out to, they’ll remember that church that was just so kind and generous and loving, and so that’s really the intent of it,” Seaman said.
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