SPOKANE, Wash. — What's become the gold standard for 3-on-3 basketball is getting a little flashier.
Winning your division at Hoopfest is no easy feat, and along with bragging rights, a local jewelry company recently started awarding the winners with custom medals.
The new tradition started in 2018, when Hoopfest reached out to Denver Toone's team at the Jewelry Design Center in Spokane to create something for athletes to commemorate their victory.
"We have a foundation in manufacturing so we take those things as a challenge and a really fun project,” Toone said.
Last year’s design used a custom mold, but their year the company decided to pierce out the medals out of a solid piece of sterling silver using a laser.
"The entire design process was all done on CADD (computer-aided design and drafting), so we came up with some iconic, really cool Spokane skyline pieces,” he explained.
They're all made of sterling silver, with a 24 carat gold plate, and two diamonds. On the back, it says AV Forever, an eternal tribute to Andrew Vathis - one of the games biggest fans.
"His tagline was 'nice shot' so we have an AV on the back of it with an outline of his silhouette,” Toone described.
The locally owned company has been around for decades. They hand-finished and donated everything so each winner can have a token they'll look back on forever.
"Making it to the top of whatever it is or wherever you are at athletically is pretty cool, so it's bragging rights for somebody. It's something they can look back on and remember the fun times they had playing,” he said.
The Jewelry Design Center donated 16 to Hoopfest and one to the Vathis family. They hope to continue making medals for the winners in years to come.