Back in popular demand is the 48th annual Dust Bowl, which returns to Kendall Perkins Park to bring the community together for some great basketball after a year off.
The Dust Bowl was put on hold last year because of COVID-19, but that didn’t stop it this time around. Community members came flooding to the park, looking forward to all that the event had to offer.
Along with all of the games, the Dust Bowl has food trucks on site, a bouncy house for kids to play in, a COVID-19 vaccination booth and much more.
Western Kentucky Elite Head Coach Pat Hume is from Owensboro and has played and coached in the Dust Bowl. That being said, Hume is thrilled to have it back for the community and his players after a year off because of COVID-19.
“It’s just a tradition that we love,” Hume said. “It’s how we kind of wrap up our AAU type season. This is our finale. It’s a big party for us, we love it. It was sad last year not having it… So far I love the condensed version of it. We’ll see how it goes, but so far the crowd looks big to me.”
Meanwhile Owensboro Bearcat Tee Green is getting his first taste of the Dust Bowl and he has enjoyed the challenge and is looking forward to finishing the tournament off strong and continuing to improve himself by competing in the future.
“It’s tough, but it’ll help you out,” Green said. “I’ve never done it before, this is my first time and it’s interesting. I’d like to play this again [in the future] and [continue] to get better at basketball.”
Hume and the Western Kentucky Elite have traveled all over the region to compete, but he and his players know that it’s nothing like being able to play in your own backyard amongst the community’s best.
“We’ve been around both Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, but it’s nice to come home and play people that you know,” Hume said. “They separate and play on different teams and you get to play in front of family and friends. That’s what the Dust Bowl is all about. Just community basketball and you get some good talent. It’s just fun to get out and play basketball.”
The Dust Bowl will run through the weekend, wrapping up on Saturday, July 24. So for those looking for good basketball and a way to gather with others in the community, Kendall Perkins Park is the place to be.
