Kwon makes grade as Rollers tournament head

Ethan Kwon, seen here in red and white uniform facing head coach Joe Diaz, turned from player to tournament director during the Rollers Basketball Association 2020 Holiday Tournament. (Contributed Photo)

Long-time Rollers Basketball Association member Ethan Kwon was not able to compete in the Rollers 2020 Holiday Tournament, but he made sure his teammates and players from other teams did.

Kwon was the tournament director of the holiday hoops that ran from Dec. 19 to Jan. 2 at the Koblerville Gymnasium and the first 5-on-5 basketball event held at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the current situation it was definitely a challenge, as our biggest priority was the players’ safety,” said Kwon, who has been playing for the Rollers in the last nine years.

“Unfortunately, that meant we couldn’t have fans at games and teams were limited with roster size. We wanted to make sure that we follow all the guidelines and protocols that were set by the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force. As the tournament director, I was tasked to make sure we have these measures in place and ran the competition as smoothly as possible, whether it be through creating custom sign-in sheets for volunteers handling the gate or clearing and sanitizing the gym for the next game,” Kwon said.

Rollers Blue’s Jeff Sagum takes a banked shot against a Sun Palace defender during their U19 title game in the Rollers 2020 Holiday Tournament at the Koblerville Gymnasium early this month. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Rollers founder and head coach Joe Diaz credited Kwon for the success of the tournament at these challenging times and for showing leadership and organization.

Each game in the holiday caging had a big gap to avoid overcrowding and every person entering the venue had his/her temperature checked and recorded. Footage of the matches, especially the title games, were also posted on the Rollers’ Facebook page for parents and fans to see, while Kwon took pictures of the matches and the awards ceremony and monitored the officials table during the championship games.

“It was a group effort with all the coaches, players/volunteers and the Rollers Basketball Association officers pitching in and assisting one another. I couldn’t have done it without them,” said Kwon, adding that he would gladly accept a similar task in the future.

“After each tournament you learn and see which areas you can possibly improve on. The only real difference with this tournament from others is the ongoing pandemic. It’s always a learning experience to be able to adapt with the current times, but I definitely look forward to future tournaments,” he said.

The Rollers holiday hoops had competitions for U12, U17, U19, and women’s divisions and drew 14 teams. The event was supported by Pacific Amusement QQ Rent A Car, MARPAC, SuperTech, Sun Palace, and JVJ Faith Lawncare.