Brookhaven students and staff are gearing up for the “Hoops for Hearts” competition held on Tuesday Feb. 18, from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. at the campus gym in the T building. Participants are encouraged to register their team before the event to secure a spot.

The event features a friendly 3v3 basketball tournament in celebration of Heart Awareness Month. Sage Jenkins, event coordinator, said, “I think that … as we get older, we lose the idea of physical activity being fun.” He said that this event will be a great opportunity for both students and staff to unwind and socialize.

Heart Health Awareness Month emphasizes the importance of dedicating time to learn, understand and take proactive steps that will promote our cardiovascular health and healthy lifestyle. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20% of the U.S. population died from heart disease in 2022.

Jenkins said that the event aims to “highlight to students and staff that physical activity should be fun, and it can be any type of movement that gets your heart pumping.”

The tournament will use double elimination with the rules set based on the University of Buffalo’s recreation sports information. Team members will be asked to sign a waiver in order to participate. Minors would be sent a waiver ahead of time that has to be signed by their parents.

Students and staff can look forward to an exhilarating competition filled with dunks and cheers while promoting Heart Health Awareness Month.

Anyone who is interested in signing up can register using this link.