Hoops for the Ages basketball tournament provides tune-up for National Senior Games

Eunice Sullivan is no stranger to fighting for opportunities. When she started her freshman year at the University of Notre Dame in 1975, the school had no official women’s sports.

Two years later, Sullivan joined the roster of the Fighting Irish’s inaugural varsity women’s basketball team. Long before Notre Dame would head to the NCAA Championship, the fledgling program boasted just six experienced players and 10 newcomers. Sullivan ran track, cross country and played basketball in an era where women’s athletics were underfunded and jostling for a place at the table.

Now, the only opportunities Sullivan has to fight for are open spots in front of the net.

Sullivan never lost her love of sports. After turning 50, she began traveling to the National Senior Games every other year to compete in 3-on-3 basketball, training in tournaments across the country in the meantime.

On Saturday, she captained her team, the Get Along Gals, to victory at the fourth annual Hoops for the Ages Tournament. The Get Along Gals competed in the 65-69 year age group.

Sullivan, an Evanston native who now lives north of the city, picked up her teammates through regional and national competitions. Carla Kincaid, for instance, came all the way from Durham, North Carolina to play, while Phyllis Parkers hails from Keystone, South Dakota.

“Last year, I went to [the National Senior Games in] Pittsburgh and picked up a team from North Carolina,” Kincaid said. “They’re not coming this year to nationals, so [Eunice] found me. She saw my name, and she knew me from last year, so she picked me up.”

The Get Along Gals won all three of their games during Hoops for the Ages on Saturday to secure the gold medal.

“On the court, we’re vicious,” Sullivan said. “We’re all very competitive.”

The Get Along Gals won all three of the games they played Saturday, including their second match against the Second City Storm. Credit: Alexis Rogers

Four years of Hoops

Hoops for the Ages, organized through collaboration between the Levy Senior Center Foundation, City of Evanston and Illinois Senior Games, moved to ETHS this year for space after seeing a rise in participation.

This year’s tournament took over every available basketball space at ETHS, with 12 half-courts active from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Teams competed in age groups that ranged from 40 to over 95 years old, and the top three finishers in each division earned medals. The event served as a tune-up for July’s National Senior Games.

Rob Bady, who organizes the tournament alongside Cathy Wilson, plays in the 50-54 age group. His team, Slow and Steady, took their fourth consecutive gold medal after winning all four of their matchups.

“I was actually a cheerleader when I was in seventh grade, and then I picked up basketball,” Bady said. “I was fairly good at it, so even though I picked it up late, I ended up playing in high school, then in college.”

Bady also began participating in senior basketball tournaments when he turned 50, traveling to competitions in Springfield and West Dundee before deciding to introduce an event to Evanston. With support from the Levy Center, Bady and Wilson began Hoops for the Ages.

“We had about maybe 15 teams, and then we went from 15 to 20, and then 20 to 24,” Bady said. “There’s over 350 people this year.”

Slow and Steady defends during the gold medal game. Rob Bady (leftmost player in black) said the tournament was a “primer” for the National Senior Games. Credit: Alexis Rogers

Preparing for National Senior Games

Last summer, 140 individuals advanced to the 2025 National Senior Games during the Hoops for the Ages Tournament, which served as the Illinois state qualifier. The Games will be held from July 24 to August 4 in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Get Along Gals fell in the second round of the 65-plus playoffs last year and are looking for redemption.

“We play in different locations in Chicago, so now all the teams know each other and then it’s a little grudge match,” Sullivan said.

Slow and Steady took a bronze medal in 2024, and Bady is confident about the team’s chance to take the national title.

“In 2023, we lost the game for the gold medal by three points,” Bady said. “It was a heartbreaker. Then in Pittsburgh, we lost the game to go to the gold medal by another three points. So this year, I went around and I got what I thought was the best team I could get in my age group.”

The National Senior Games and regional tournaments such as Hoops for the Ages have a common goal: to provide opportunities for seniors to exercise and socialize. Playing basketball has given many participants a network of teammates, rivals and friends, and offers a way to remain active and healthy.

Bady hopes that Hoops for the Ages provides people with motivation to remain mobile and a chance to show off their abilities.

“You have to stay fit,” Bady said. “It’s about keeping moving. You see a lot of people with health issues because you stop moving. There were no injuries today, and I think that’s a testament to older people staying in shape.”

Sullivan knows that aging may slow her down, but it’ll never be able to stop her.

“I have a t-shirt that says, ‘Senior athletes: They’re off their rockers,’” Sullivan said. “We’re out doing stuff.”

By Alexis Rogers as published in the Evanston RoundTable

June 8th, 2025