Louisville , KY 2009 – Hoop It Up, the largest 3on3 basketball tour in the world, is thrilled to announce Education Secretary Arne Duncan will be returning to Chicago to play in Hoop It Up! Secretary Duncan will once again be playing for the ‘Ariel Slow and Steady’ team, which has won the Hoop It Up World Championships in 2004 (Las Vegas), 2005 (Orlando) and 2007 (Miami). Secretary Duncan has participated in many Hoop It Up events over the years in addition to his World Championship seasons. The 2009 Chicago event will be held May 30-31 at Alexian Field in Schaumburg.

Hoop It Up is a series of exciting weekend basketball celebrations providing games, concessions and entertainment. The tour is organized by BEST Experiential Properties, a subsidiary of Blue Equity. Hoop It Up offers players of all ages and abilities a festival-style atmosphere filled with fun, dynamic and fast-paced competition. This eventful weekend also features family-friendly entertainment and basketball skill challenges along with food and activities for all to enjoy.

The 2009 Hoop It Up Tour is comprised of 29 qualifying local events held throughout the United States from March through September, culminating with the World Championships this summer. The tour is one of BEST Experiential Properties’ flagship events in addition to Kick It 3v3 soccer and Let It Fly 4on4 flag football.

For more details about the tour and to register, visit www.hoopitup.com or call 1.888.997.PLAY.  For information on other BEST participatory tours, please visit Kick It at www.kickit3v3.com and Let It Fly at www.letitfly.org .

Visit www.BESTSocial.net to learn more about our online community and to interact with members from Hoop It Up, Kick It and Let It Fly events.

About BEST

BEST is a unified full-service sports and entertainment company. Current clients include Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, 2009 NFL Draft first round picks Aaron Maybin and Percy Harvin, Reggie Bush and DeAngelo Hall; NBA All-Stars Shawn Marion and Rasheed Wallace, as well as potential 2009 NBA Lottery pick Ricky Rubio; Australian, French and US Open Champion Justine Henin and ATP #1 ranked doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan. Media & Event properties include the US Open Tennis Championship, the French Open Tennis Championship, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, numerous US-based ATP tournaments, Rock ’n Racquets, Hoop It Up, Let It Fly, Kick It, the Boston Marathon, the Superstars Competition, Ice Wars, the World Cup of Softball, The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase and the Men’s and Women’s Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships. www.experienceBEST.com

About Blue Equity

Blue Equity, LLC is an independent, private equity firm based in Louisville, Kentucky. It is committed to actively investing growth capital and business expertise in enterprises with solid development potential. Blue Equity forms strategic partnerships with existing management teams and leverages its expertise and relationships to stabilize, strengthen and grow lasting value. Investment efforts and managerial expertise are focused on the operation of a global and diversified portfolio of business enterprises, including opportunities in media, publishing, sports and entertainment, financial services, and real estate.  Blue Equity is dedicated to helping businesses grow by accelerating opportunity and driving innovation to the marketplace. www.blueequity.com