It was all on in Tauranga this Easter – not just with the National Jazz Festival, but with the Mel Young Easter Basketball Classic too.

The annual basketball tournament took place over the weekend for the fourth time in Tauranga.

Last year more than 1000 basketballers between the ages of 11 and 19 attended, and Tauranga City Basketball general manager Mark Rogers says there were similar numbers on court this year.

'If anything, the crowds are getting bigger,” he says.

'Going around town and talking to restaurants they've been telling me they've had plenty of customers in from the basketball, so it's great for Tauranga.”

The tournament has been going for 28 years, but was recently given its current name after one of the tournament founders, Mel Young, passed away in 2015.

Mark says 128 teams attended over the weekend, including four from Australia.

'Games go Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and we also have coach and referee courses to upskill people. It's a fairly holistic approach to basketball.”

Games were played at venues across the city, including ASB Arena, QEYC, Tauranga Boys' College, and Aquinas College. Mark says the hosting rights are up for grabs next year, but is hopeful Tauranga will retain them.

'Because we're reasonably central and people like what we do with the event, I'm hoping we can keep it.”

Meanwhile, the sport continues to grow in Tauranga, particularly among intermediate and secondary school students.

'This year we have 20 representative teams in this age group – the most we've ever had. The popularity of basketball is still booming.”