The annual NAIDOC 3x3 basketball tournament returned to Rowland Cowan Stadium at the weekend, with more than 100 teams competing in age divisions from Under 9s to Under 18s.

Run by Brian Kerle Basketball, the free-entry event brought together young players from across South East Queensland, including the Gold Coast and Brisbane's Northside.

The tournament is held each year during NAIDOC Week to celebrate culture and provide inclusive opportunities for young people.

Coach Brian Kerle, a two-time Olympian and NBL Hall of Fame inductee, said the event continues to grow each year.

"Well, an idea came to me about three years ago and we started off, we had 68 teams the first year, last year was about 75 and today we've got about 100 teams," he told National Indigenous Times.

"We do it in recognition of NAIDOC as we've got a lot of First Nation kids here.

"But we also involve other cultures because I'm all about getting people that live together, work together and understand each other."

Coach Kerle said his focus is not only on inclusion but also the development of young female and Indigenous players, noting his academy currently includes two Indigenous girls and two boys.

"We've got two indigenous girls there at the moment and two boys - they're going to Taiwan with us at the end of this year," he said.

"I just love to see the smile on the kids' face. They make new friends and that's important."

One standout team was the JKSC girls, who won the G18 division.

The team, made up of Siale Lolohea, Leilani Lolohea and Karma Carter, finished first out of five teams.

Siale Lolohea, a proud Gudjal woman, said the tournament was packed with strong competition.

"The event was pretty cool and there was a lot of people and lots of teams," she said.

"We came first out of I think four or five teams maybe so we did pretty well."

Lolohea, who has been part of the Brian Kerle Academy since 2018, also represented the program overseas.

"I've gone to Taiwan I think in 2023 and it was really cool experience," she said.

Lolohea said she hopes to take her basketball to the highest level possible and believes opportunities for young Indigenous people are stronger than they've ever been.

"I'd love to go to college and play at the highest level I can, which would be WNBA, hopefully," she said.

"The opportunities Indigenous people have at the moment are better than what they were in the past, which helps a lot."