Gus Macker Zanesville

09/08/2026

The date is set. Gus Macker is officially returning to Zanesville July 10–11, 2027, and now we need your help spreading the word.

One of our goals from the beginning has been to make this more than a Zanesville event. We want teams and families from Columbus, Newark, Cambridge, Coshocton, Marietta, Athens, surrounding counties, and even outside Ohio to know that they are invited to be part of what we're building.

And we're starting to see that reach grow.

Recently, AVC News, which helps us reach the Cambridge area and other surrounding communities, picked up our story. We've also reached out to WBNS-10TV and 97.1 The Fan in Columbus as we continue working to get the word into larger markets.

Share this flyer. Send it to your friends and family in other cities. Send it to coaches, athletic directors, basketball programs, community organizations and people you know in the media.

And if you have a connection in another city—whether that's a newspaper, radio station, television station, school, college, basketball organization or community leader—please reach out to us. An introduction can go a long way.

09/03/2026

🏀 BIG NEWS, ZANESVILLE…
After more than a year of planning, conversations, meetings, and work behind the scenes, we reached a major milestone today.
Our 2027 Gus Macker tournament date is officially locked in for July 10-11, 2027!!
Look for official press releases from several partners over the next couple of weeks! It will be added to the tour / website right before the holidays!
Thank you to every sponsor, community partner, committee member, and supporter who has believed in bringing Gus Macker back to Zanesville. 🏀

*Registration will start up around January 1st but stay tuned!!

08/27/2026

SPONSOR A CHILD — GUS MACKER ZANESVILLE 2027
We believe every child deserves a chance to get on the court.
This initiative was provided by Kenneth Dickinson Jr. during our meeting yesterday and as today started off, we were provided with funds to sponsor over 10 teams of kids that are less fortunate, specifically targeting certain organizations. The donor wants to remain anonymous but if you feel called to do this for our less fortunate children, give what you feel called to do.
There is no minimum contribution and no maximum.
$5. $20. $50. $100. Whatever someone feels led to give can help create an opportunity for a young person.
Funds contributed through this initiative will be tracked in a separate pool through the Muskingum County Community Foundation (MCCF), providing accountability and helping ensure these contributions remain identifiable for this purpose.

08/27/2026

🏀 A Look at the Proposed Gus Macker Zanesville 2027 Layout!

As planning continues for the return of Gus Macker to Zanesville in 2027, we wanted to give everyone another look at our proposed tournament layout.

One question we've heard throughout this process is:

“What about parking?”

Based on our proposed campus layout, we anticipate having widely available parking surrounding the tournament footprint, helping provide convenient access for players, families, volunteers, sponsors, and spectators.

And here's something important to remember:

👉 The parking shown on this map doesn't even include additional potential parking associated with the building/property across the street.

Our goal is to create an environment where people can come to Macker, find parking, enjoy the tournament, and spend the weekend experiencing everything we're building without parking becoming the defining concern.

We're working to make Gus Macker Zanesville 2027 an accessible, organized, and memorable experience for everyone.

08/27/2026

Another productive Gus Macker Zanesville 2027 committee meeting is in the books, and we’re excited about a couple of new sponsorship opportunities currently in development!
As we continue building toward 2027, we are working on two additional sponsorship tiers:
TEAM SPONSORSHIP — $180
This opportunity will allow an individual, business, or organization to cover the registration cost for a team to participate in Gus Macker Zanesville 2027.
SPONSOR A CHILD — GIVE WHAT YOU CAN
This is something we are especially excited about.
There will be no minimum contribution and no limit on how much someone can give. The purpose of this fund will be to help youth 17 years old and under participate when cost may otherwise be a barrier.
Whether someone gives $5, $20, $50, $100 or more, the idea is simple:
Every child deserves an opportunity to get on the court. 🏀
We don't want a young person who wants to experience Gus Macker to miss that opportunity simply because their family may not be able to afford it.
Both opportunities are still in development, and additional details will be announced once everything is finalized!!

08/24/2026

🏀 STARTING EARLY!!

While we await final approval and our official 2027 tournament date, which we anticipate being able to share within the next few weeks, we're not waiting to begin building awareness!

Our Executive Chair has started reaching out directly to athletic directors, boys' and girls' basketball coaches, colleges, youth programs, and other basketball organizations throughout our local and surrounding communities.

We want to make sure every child, family, coach, and basketball player possible knows about the opportunity to participate in Gus Macker Zanesville 2027.

If you have connections with:

AAU Basketball • Travel Basketball • Youth Leagues • School Basketball Programs • Recreation Programs • Coaches • Basketball Trainers

Please message the Gus Macker Zanesville page with the organization/program name, contact person's name, email address, and any other helpful contact information.

We'll add those contacts to our recruitment pipeline and reach out as our campaign continues.

08/20/2026

We’re excited to welcome Bojangles as our newest $500 Event Sponsor for Gus Macker Zanesville 2027!

With their support, we have now reached over:

$42,800 IN SPONSORSHIPS!

And if your business has been thinking about getting involved…

We now have only 10 Event Sponsor opportunities remaining at the $500 level!

08/12/2026

ANOTHER BIG STEP FORWARD… ZANESVILLE, WE’RE GETTING CLOSE. 🏀
What a day for Gus Macker Zanesville 2027.
This morning, our Executive Chair had a very positive conversation with Gus Macker Headquarters.
Originally, we anticipated beginning the formal agreement process closer to the end of September.
Instead, things moved quickly.
•The proposed tournament agreement was sent to our organization today.
•The agreement was reviewed and completed by our nonprofit partner so shout out to The Nelson T Gant Foundation.
•And this afternoon, the completed agreement was officially sent back to Gus Macker Headquarters.
Now… we wait for the next step.
There are still pieces that must be completed before we can make the announcement everyone has been waiting for but we are not far off…

08/06/2026

🏀 Volunteer Registration is Now Open! 🏀

As planning for Gus Macker Zanesville 2027 continues, we've seen an incredible amount of interest from individuals wanting to volunteer and help make this event a success.

If you would like to be part of bringing one of the nation's premier 3-on-3 basketball tournaments back to Muskingum County, we invite you to complete the form below.

By registering, you'll help our Executive Committee and volunteer leadership team:

*Accurately determine volunteer needs
*Match volunteers with areas of interest
*Coordinate scheduling and training
*Ensure we have the support needed for a successful tournament weekend

All registrations will be shared with the appropriate committee leads as we begin building our volunteer teams and assigning responsibilities.

Be Part of Bringing Gus Macker Back to Muskingum County! Thank you for your interest in volunteering for Gus Macker Zanesville 2027! With our tournament venue officially confirmed, we are now beginning to build our volunteer team. This form serves as our official volunteer registration and will help...

08/06/2026

Some of our committee members arrived to the campus to finalize details for the tournament which include vendor space, food truck space, traffic flow, parking and other categories. A map will be completed today to send off to Gus Macker HQ for the final stamp along with obtaining exact measurements that we will need. We can say that there will be LOTS of parking, and substantial space designated for handicap parking up front along with having food trucks/vendors having their own section close to water/ electric sources for smooth delivery. There are a lot of details but that is why having a dedicated team with different strengths is important!