Springfield council wants hoop tourneys to stay, faster work on sports complex
SPRINGFIELD — Teamwork! Work together out there!
That's what basketball coaches often say from the sideline. And on Monday, the Springfield City Council called for more communication between City Hall and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and faster work toward a long-talked-about multisport complex . Both are key to keeping and growing the Hall of Fame's Hoophall tournaments here in Springfield, city councilors said Monday.
The council capped off an otherwise acrimonious meeting dominated by their own disagreements by unanimously passing a resolution supporting the Hoophall Invitational, Hoophall Prep Showcase and Jr. Hoophall Championships tournaments and calling for those games to stay in Western Massachusetts.
Springfield High School of Science and Technology's Isaiah Anderson (22) goes to the basket against Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy players during the 2026 Hoophall Classic at Springfield College's Blake Arena on Jan. 15. (DAVE HOSMER / REMINDER PUBLICATIONS, File)DAVE HOSMER/REMINDER PUBLICATIONS
The resolution — brought forth by former mayoral candidate and City Councilor Justin Hurst — also formally expressed disappointment that the Hall of Fame considered moving its tournaments and their estimated $10 million to $12 million of economic impact to Boston.
John L. Doleva, president and CEO of the Hall of Fame, had tried to keep secret his communications with former Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Executive Director Marcel Vernon Sr. But the Contrarian Boston Blog made documents public last week, sparking wide outrage.
That included a letter from Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, saying Doleva "dropped the ball" and is not acting in the region's best interest.
Sarno said he's already heard from businesses and people with gyms willing to help. And he offered up courts in the Springfield Public Schools.
The Hoophall Classic expanded for the first time in January to overflow sites at Western New England University and Duggan Academy to accommodate a record number of marquee matchups.
Doleva said he wants to focus on adding more courts and solving the hotel room crunch.
"I have not met with the city as of yet, as I wanted to let the emotions subside so that substantive issues can be addressed," Doleva wrote Tuesday in an email. "The Hall is preparing a series of concrete initiatives that can be taken to elevate the Hoophall Classic event from an operational standpoint and address a more positive customer-facing experience."
Stories by Jim Kinney
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