With talk of three on three tournaments based right here in Mineola, basketball has become a popular subject with the current village board. Of course if you ask the village youth, it has always been a major topic of conversation.

"Basketball is one of the most popular activities we have here in the village," said Village Activities Coordinator Angelo Scuccimari.

Scuccimari and the village board recently opened the Mineola community center for residential use of the basketball courts four days a week for use by Mineola residents.

Scuccimari estimated that the program is utilized by anywhere from 17 to 25 people a day. Monday, the most popular night, has been set aside from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Fridays, from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., is set aside for teenagers and averages a crowd of about 20. Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. are for adults and witnesses anywhere from 15 to 20 people at a time.

Sundays are segmented into three separate sessions. From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. is for the children under 12 years of age. It is also the least attended. From noon to 2 p.m. is for teens and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. is for adults. Both sessions usually attracts crowds of about 10 people each.

The Mineola village staff always monitors the courts, that Scuccimari said has attracted a sports loving crowd that is equally courteous and orderly.

Everyone who is a resident of Mineola and is in possession of a Mineola Leisure Pass is invited to use the courts.

If one cannot make it over to the Mineola Community Center, dependent on where the person lives, Mineola has begun a refurbishment plan to provide adequate courts for would-be sports stars.

There will be new basketball courts at the Eighth Avenue, the Emory Road Park and the Wilson Park facilities.

A brand new facility will completely replace the old one at Wilson Park. The basketball court will be relocated to where the location of the former handball court was due to the addition of the new roller rink to Wilson Park.

This construction coincides with the development of new tennis courts replacing the previous tennis courts completely. This will make for two tennis courts, two baseball fields, three soccer fields, shuffle board and a swimming pool complex all at Wilson Park.

The facilities at the Eighth Avenue and the Emory Road Park facilities will be or have been removed and replaced where they were located before the renovations took place.

All basketball courts will be painted and will be constructed with asphalt, which is easier to maintain than concrete, according to the Superintendent of Public Works Lou DiDomenico.

All hoops will be treated to new rims and backboards. The courts will be painted to make them official basketball courts.

With the completion of the basketball courts along with the roller rink and renovations to Memorial Park, all recreational facilities projects scheduled for this year will be completed.

"They will be just about done when the kids get out of school," said DiDomenico. And then it will be up to the boys and girls of Mineola, both young and old, to make the most of the courts.