Basketball tournament hosted by MyIsland Ballers. Photo Credit: MYISLAND BALLERS.
ST. THOMAS — A high-energy youth basketball showcase is set to take over the Mark C. Marin Center this weekend as MyIsland Ballers hosts the second annual Summer Madness Hoops Classic.
The action kicks off on Friday, July 25, 2025, with team check-in at 4:00 p.m. followed by the first games at 5:00 p.m. The tournament continues on Saturday, July 26, with games starting at 9:00 a.m., and concludes on Sunday, July 27, with championship games beginning at 9:00 a.m. and award ceremonies following each division championship. All games will take place at the Mark C. Marin Center located at Antilles School, 7280 Frenchman Bay, St. Thomas, VI 00802.
The tournament, spearheaded by MyIsland Ballers Vice President Jeffrey Jones and President Maurice Wells, is aimed squarely at middle school athletes in the 11U to 14U age range, providing younger players in the territory with a rare opportunity to test their skills against competition from outside the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“This is year two of the event,” said Mr. Wells. “It’s an opportunity for them to see our local athletes compete against other athletes of the same age from outside of the territory.” Teams are traveling from both the British Virgin Islands and Maryland, with three teams from Maryland alone participating in this year’s event.
Jones emphasized the unique focus on middle school athletes, an age group often overshadowed by high school competitions. “Usually we have a lot of tournaments for high school, but this one is basically middle school… from fifth to eighth grade, 11U to 14U. So we’re trying to get the younger kids involved earlier and give them more to do,” he said. “This will give you a chance to come out and see the future of the Virgin Islands and not just the right now.”
Tickets are available per day or as a weekend pass. Daily prices are $5 for children, $10 for adults on Friday, and $15 for adults on Saturday and Sunday. A weekend pass is available for $30.
While the event is currently based in St. Thomas, organizers say they are actively exploring expansion to St. Croix. “We’re trying to figure it out,” said Wells. “Right now it’s solely St. Thomas, because we know the Antilles gym, we could split the courts and have more games run at the same time.” He added that they are evaluating infrastructure, gym layout, hotel availability, and other resources in St. Croix to possibly bring the event there. “If things go the way we’d like them to, we’ll try to do it twice a year — one in each place — instead of every other year.”
Wells confirmed that the first tournament was held at the same time in July 2024, and the long-term vision is already taking shape. “We already have commits for next year,” he said. Expansion plans also include the addition of girls’ divisions, with the intent to make the event week-long in the future. The proposed format would feature girls’ games from Monday to Wednesday, a break on Thursday, followed by boys’ matchups from Friday through Sunday. Although girls currently participate by playing on boys’ teams, the goal is to offer dedicated divisions for girls.
The organizers expressed appreciation to all who are making the event possible. “We’d like to thank our sponsors for sure,” said Wells. Partners include: Virgin Islands Lottery, Department of Education, Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation, One Communications, Merchants Commercial Bank, Antilles School, Vivid Streaming, Alliance Point Charters, Haugland Group, and Marriott Vacation Club.
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