Suffolk Parks and Recreation is taking a new approach to the hardwood with its 2013 Men’s and Women’s 3v3 Summer Basketball Leagues.

Rob Ramos of Parks and Recreation explained the inspiration behind the first-time effort to form leagues of this kind.

“We wanted to bring adult basketball to the city,” he said. “I know we have (worked) in the past to try to get 5-on-5 teams. We’ve gotten a couple teams, three or four, but we think going to 3v3 allows us to have more teams and more people competing against each other.”

Sign-ups to play in the leagues will be open through June 21.

Then, starting on July 10 and running through Aug. 28, each league will hold games on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 10 p.m. The men will face off at Booker T. Washington Recreation Center, and the women will play at Mack Benn Jr. Recreation Center.

Ramos explained that the leagues will feature half-court match-ups, allowing for two games to be played at the same time.

Teams will be pitted against one another each night in a best-of-three series.

“They have either an hour-long time limit, or doing the best-of-three, if you win the first two, then you don’t have to play the third game,” Ramos said.

Players will be required to call their own fouls, three-pointers will count as two points and two-pointers will count as one. The first team to get to 21 in a game will be declared the winner.

Ramos related that Parks and Recreation is still on the lookout for more teams and players to add.

“We’ve had plenty of phone calls,” Ramos said. “Right now we’re just waiting for them to come sign up, but there is a good amount of interest out there.”

“We also sent out different fliers to local businesses, barber shops, laundromats, just anywhere where they have the high volume of people coming through that will be able to see them,” he said.

While players have been invited to sign up as teams, and only need a group of three to do so, Ramos mentioned another option that is being provided.

“If players just wanted to join teams, we’re looking for individual players, as well,” he said. “So we can get enough individual players, then we’ll put them together on a team.”

“Especially just doing the 3-on-3, if you can’t put together your own team, you can at least come out and play and join some other players looking for a team, as well,” he added.

While the registration fee per team is $60, teams can have 3-6 players and split the cost among team members.

Prospective players, ages 18 and up, can sign up at either the Suffolk Parks and Recreation Administration Office on 134 S. Sixth St. or at www.suffolkva.us/parks.

For more information, contact the Suffolk Parks and Recreation athletics office at 514-7270.