Rib City Shootout to debut new location

An annual basketball tournament adds a new location to its roster.

The Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff will look a lot different as it’s set to host more than 600 basketball teams for the 2023 Rib City Shootout in June. The shootout will be the first event held at the Black River Coliseum since the addition of new basketball courts at the venue.

Tournament director Chad Allen said the Rib City Shootout had come a long way from 65 teams when he started 14 years ago and encourages all who love sports to attend.

“What really got me started with the Rib City Shootout was the lack of summer team camps in our area,” Allen said. “I just decided to start one here in Southeast Missouri because this area is a hotbed for basketball, so I figured it would go well. I knew having six states surrounding us would be a great location, and it has done extremely well throughout the years.”

The Rib City Shootout originated from a girls and boys varsity and junior varsity basketball camp developed in 2010, which he then added volleyball in 2013. His vision was to provide athletes and teams with a setting to compete and improve.

Fast forward to today, Allen said hosting the event gives athletes the opportunity to be seen by coaches and hopefully get a chance to play on the college level or beyond.

The shootout has expanded to three locations where most of the volleyball is conducted in Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff hosts basketball and Dexter shares a little of both.

The event will take place over two weeks and will require Three Rivers College and Poplar Bluff school district basketball courts to accommodate all players.

With the opportunity to host the shootout in the Black River Coliseum, Allen said it helps very much because it opens more space for more teams. There are over 300 teams signed up from six different states, and he expects more than 600 teams to compete this summer from seven different states.

Now that the Black River Coliseum is installing three courts to go along with Libla Family Sports Complex (three courts) and Poplar Bluff school district courts, there will be a total of seven shootouts this summer in Poplar Bluff, Allen said. Each team will play a minimum of six games, with eight games possible.

Allen said he always had a niche for organizing events, but when he created the shootout, he knew it wouldn’t just be beneficial for Dexter but every area in the southeast.

“I organized Upward Basketball in Dexter for several years, and then when I started the shootouts, I just enjoyed doing it,” Allen said. “It’s definitely great for our area and local economy, whether it’s Cape Girardeau or Poplar Bluff, it really helps out in many different areas.”

Stepping into the Rib City Shootout, spectators can expect a lot of basketball and volleyball. Allen emphasized that many games are going on at once, involving a lot of action and a great event to come and watch.

Each year the Rib City Shootout has gained a lot of growth, not only in teams but in talent as well.

“There’s always some extremely good teams that come through on the basketball side and even on the volleyball side. We’ve got some high-caliber teams that come, but we’ve got teams at all different levels,” Allen said.

“This is a great overall event, and I always look forward to it every summer.”