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Southern Oregon Open set to return Saturday By Kris Henry Updated: May 06, 2022 10:21 PM A A After forgoing tournament play in 2020 and 2021, the Southern Oregon Open returns this weekend in its 14th rendition with boys and girls basketball games at seven sites throughout the Medford area. What began as a senior project in 2007 when Kyle Singler was at South Medford High as a benefit for Kids Unlimited, the local basketball tournament has been a fixture for youth basketball teams until having to be shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic the past two years. The tournament was in jeopardy again this year due to statewide restrictions still in place up until late February but Kids Unlimited CEO and founder Tom Cole was able to move forward with plans shortly thereafter. As a result of the late OK, this year’s version will involve 25 teams — including those from Oregon and California — after a maximum-capacity 200 teams in 2019 that featured 23 boys and girls divisions from fifth grade through high school. Games begin at 8 a.m. Saturday and play wraps up Sunday, with contests set to be played at North Medford, South Medford, Cascade Christian and St. Mary’s high schools as well as McLoughlin and Scenic middle schools and Kids Unlimited. “There were so many variables that were still around at the beginning of the year and we really didn’t launch any marketing for the tournament until we really got through the security of congregating in gyms and the provisions that surrounds that,” Cole said. “In January we’d typically already have 50 teams registered and certainly by February easily 50 more but we were super sensitive of, ‘Gosh, do we want this many teams and what if the mask and other situations sway and suddenly we have a gym that could occupy 200 people and now we can only occupy 50.’” Participants will also be able to compete in a running free-throw shooting contest throughout the tournament in the upper gymnasium at Kids Unlimited. The economic impact on the area from the Open has been estimated at around $800,000 since its inception by the local tourism bureau. “We’re just trying to resume something that’s great for Kids Unlimited and great for the tradition Kyle started and has been great for the city,” Cole added. basketball1.jpg