Duluth East Basketball Host 10th Twin Ports Summer Jam Tournament

16 teams competed at the 10th Twin Ports Summer Jam.

DULUTH, Minn.- Teams from all around the Northland made their way to Duluth East High School to get a jump start on the upcoming season.

The annual Twin Ports Summer Jam tournament tipped off today.

The two-day tournament is hosted by Duluth East’s boys’ basketball team.

16 teams competed at the 10th Twin Ports Summer Jam.

The summer tournament at Duluth East is an opportunity to play summer basketball in Duluth.

“Having our tournament really for us is about playing more localized basketball, instead of traveling to the Twin Cities like we do. It’s great to have a good representation of the Northland here, while we bring up some teams that come from the city that want to spend time in Duluth. I think it’s a great tournament, the teams that come up here usually they are here every single year because they like to finish their summers here and spend a little bit of time on Lake Superior as well. For us, it’s a great way to end the season, the summer season,” said Duluth East head coach Rhett McDonald.

Not only does the tournament give players a chance to work on their game, but coaches also use the time to work on their playbook.

“As a coach, I love the summer because it’s a time where I can kind of tinker with some things. Whether it’s players or whether it’s strategies X’s and O’s. It allows us as coaches to be creative with what we may want to work on next year as well and I think our players do spend a lot of time in the gym, so this is their opportunity to spend some time as a team and kind of work on their creativity as well,” said McDonald.

The championship round of the Twin Ports Summer Jam tournament begins Tuesday, July 29th.