Community comes together for sports court

A newly resurfaced basketball court gets funding from the South Whidbey Project

By Kira Erickson • July 15, 2025 8:00 am
Photo courtesy of Louis Muniz The annual 3-on-3 tournament held on the basketball court is a lively event. It’s happening again this year on July 26.
Photo courtesy of Louis Muniz The annual 3-on-3 tournament held on the basketball court is a lively event. It’s happening again this year on July 26.

A newly resurfaced basketball court is just one of the many areas of the South Whidbey community that the founders of a nonprofit organization have set out to help by providing funding.

Every year, Louis Muniz hosts a 3-on-3 tournament on the outdoor basketball court at South Whidbey Community Park. Growing up on the island and playing the sport as a kid, Muniz always told himself that he would someday put in a court. When he moved back home in 2006, he joined the Rotary Club of South Whidbey and presented his idea to the club and to South Whidbey Parks and Recreation. After several years of fundraising, the court was installed in 2014.

“This has really been my pet project, my legacy and labor of love for the last 20 years,” Muniz said.

But about a year ago, he started to notice that the court was getting weathered, buckling in the summertime, which is when it gets used the most.

Brian Tomisser, executive director for South Whidbey Parks and Rec, said it is the only decent public full court he knows of that is south of Oak Harbor. It’s constructed with sports court tiles, which Tomisser said look great but had to be bolted down so when it’s hot, the court buckles and when it’s wet, it can be a slippery surface.

Muniz’s friend and fellow South Whidbey resident, Reed McNeil, helped the parks and rec district score a major deal on redoing the court surface with company Beynon Sports, where McNeil is a sales manager.

Even with this deal, there was still the question of how to fund the resurfacing. As Tomisser pointed out, the parks and rec district is in the middle of two major capital projects – a recreational aquatic center and pickleball courts – and money is tight. The Rotary Club of South Whidbey had donated $15,000 for a new water bottle filling station in the spring and urged the district to use the remaining $3,000 for the basketball court. The rest of the funds came from the South Whidbey Project, which chipped in $3,800.

The South Whidbey Project was founded by three alumni of South Whidbey High School who have dedicated themselves to giving back to the community that raised them. Though Levi Sawyers, Parker Barnett and Hunter Hawkins live and work in the greater Seattle area, the island is never far from their minds. The trio of friends is on track this year to raise over $100,000 of their own contributions to directly impact the South Whidbey community.

“Any project that is intended to improve the community of South Whidbey is something we’re interested in,” Barnett said. “We made it broad on purpose because we don’t live on the island and we don’t want to come in and pretend we know what those projects are, which is why we work so closely with organizations that are already doing that good work.”

The nonprofit recently donated $8,600 to another South Whidbey Parks and Rec project – the six new pickleball courts. Construction is expected to begin later this year.

In addition, the South Whidbey Project provided a $10,000 scholarship this year to graduating South Whidbey High School senior Parrish Viator and a $9,100 grant to restore the black box theater at the Whidbey Children’s Theatre. A full list of current and upcoming projects is available on the website, theswp.org. People can also pitch their projects by filling out a grant application form.

Thanks to the community collaboration, the basketball court was resurfaced last week, and Muniz is planning his “Hoops, Beats and Bites” event for Saturday, July 26. Besides the annual 3-on-3 tournament, there will also be a DJ, food vendors and prizes. Tip-off begins at 10 a.m. and usually about eight to ten teams play in the double elimination tournament, with many more people spectating.

“If someone wants to play, we can usually find a spot for them,” Muniz said. “Definitely don’t want to turn anybody away.”

Send an email to Louismuniz@windermere.com about joining a team.

Photo courtesy of South Whidbey Parks and Recreation An aerial view shows the newly resurfaced basketball court in South Whidbey Community Park.

Photo courtesy of South Whidbey Parks and Recreation An aerial view shows the newly resurfaced basketball court in South Whidbey Community Park.

Photo courtesy of South Whidbey Parks and Recreation An aerial view shows the newly resurfaced basketball court in South Whidbey Community Park.

Photo courtesy of South Whidbey Parks and Recreation An aerial view shows the newly resurfaced basketball court in South Whidbey Community Park.

Photo courtesy of the South Whidbey Project The South Whidbey Project awarded a $10,000 scholarship this year to graduating senior Parrish Viator.

Photo courtesy of the South Whidbey Project The South Whidbey Project awarded a $10,000 scholarship this year to graduating senior Parrish Viator.

Photo courtesy of the South Whidbey Project The black box theater at the Whidbey Children’s Theatre in Langley was restored, thanks to a grant from the South Whidbey Project.

Photo courtesy of the South Whidbey Project The black box theater at the Whidbey Children’s Theatre in Langley was restored, thanks to a grant from the South Whidbey Project.

Photo courtesy of the South Whidbey Project Parker Barnett, Levi Sawyers and Hunter Hawkins are the founders of the South Whidbey Project, which provides funding for community initiatives.

Photo courtesy of the South Whidbey Project Parker Barnett, Levi Sawyers and Hunter Hawkins are the founders of the South Whidbey Project, which provides funding for community initiatives.