USA Olympic 3X3 basketball

[neench]

USA lost to Serbia and Poland, I think. I realize that it is basically a 1/2 court game but I can't understand why we are not doing very well. Because it is a small court, europeans seem more comfortable. Can anyone help explain how the players were chosen and your thoughts on the game? By the way, Azerbaijan beat USA's women 3x3. That is even more crazy.

In case you don't know, 3x3 basketball was first added to the Olympics in 2020.

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

USA lost to Serbia and Poland, I think. I realize that it is basically a 1/2 court game but I can't understand why we are not doing very well. Because it is a small court, europeans seem more comfortable. Can anyone help explain how the players were chosen and your thoughts on the game? By the way, Azerbaijan beat USA's women 3x3. That is even more crazy.

In case you don't know, 3x3 basketball was first added to the Olympics in 2020.

The other teams get paid to play year round and we basically threw our team’s together.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

USA lost to Serbia and Poland, I think. I realize that it is basically a 1/2 court game but I can't understand why we are not doing very well. Because it is a small court, europeans seem more comfortable. Can anyone help explain how the players were chosen and your thoughts on the game? By the way, Azerbaijan beat USA's women 3x3. That is even more crazy.

In case you don't know, 3x3 basketball was first added to the Olympics in 2020.

Marcedes Walker from Pitt plays for Azerbaijan.

What I dont understand about 3 on 3 is why they dont ask NBA players to play. You dont think some starter-level NBA guys wouldn't want to play some 3 on 3 ball for an Olympic Medal?

What would our best 3 on 3 lineup look like?

 

[nickp91]

The last Olympics was good because the USA asked four wnba all-stars if they wanted to be on the 3x3 team and they dominated

 

[mas1021]

The men’s team is coached by current Butler County Community College head coach Joe Lewandowski. They don’t have the players to be successful.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Heard they are adding HORSE for the LA Olympics.

 

[Pitt79]

Marcedes Walker from Pitt plays for Azerbaijan.

How exactly I wonder? What's her connection to a Muslim, former Soviet Republic?

 

[mike412]

I was going to post something similar. The women are 0-3 and the men are 0-2. It’s amazing they can’t or didn’t get NBA and WNBA players to play. It’s a half court game almost all Americans have played except shots from beyond the line (which looks about 22 feet) count for 2 points.

 

[Seneca_Valley]

Heard they are adding HORSE for the LA Olympics

A great candidate, but we will have to settle for the break dancing competition this go round. Can't wait.

 

[PittPharm2002]

A great candidate, but we will have to settle for the break dancing competition this go round. Can't wait.

I mean - it’s really not any less objective than Rhythmic gymnastics , ice dancing , or dressage , let’s be honest .
All events with subjective style points are bullshit

 

[Fk_Pitt]

here’s a question…how are these teams formed and whats the process?? Surely we can do better than this motley crew. look up this USA team, look at the bios of these players. Most people wouldn’t know who 4 of the 5 players are. And other than Jimmer, these guys are from College of Charleston, Princeton, NCAA Division 3, and of course Rick Barry’s offspring.

 

[PittPharm2002]

At least it’s not women’s boxing, which is completely sad at this point.

But here’s a question…how are these teams formed and why’s the process?? Surely we can do better than this motley crew. look up this USA team, look at the bios of these players. Most people wouldn’t know who 4 of the 5 players are. And other than Jimmer, these guys are from College of Charleston, Princeton, NCAA Division 3, and of course Rick Barry’s offspring.

Not sure -
Cameron Brink was going to be on the team before injury , since she was on the FIBA gold medal team .
That’s about the only thing I know about it .

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

Marcedes Walker from Pitt plays for Azerbaijan.

What I dont understand about 3 on 3 is why they dont ask NBA players to play. You dont think some starter-level NBA guys wouldn't want to play some 3 on 3 ball for an Olympic Medal?

What would our best 3 on 3 lineup look like?

We can't. Youd need players to take time off the NBA schedule to do yearly world championships and the preliminary tournaments. Teams aren't going to release players for that. The IOC is strict about qualifying rules.

The W has a better schedule to allow building a pro team but they had a key injury and the best players are on the 5 on 5 team already. It doesn't pay much either.

 

[happjack]

here’s a question…how are these teams formed and whats the process?? Surely we can do better than this motley crew. look up this USA team, look at the bios of these players. Most people wouldn’t know who 4 of the 5 players are. And other than Jimmer, these guys are from College of Charleston, Princeton, NCAA Division 3, and of course Rick Barry’s offspring.

The players needs to play in a certain number of 3x3 sanctioned events over the year, NBA and top college players can't really do that. On the women's side the US team was going to have Cameron Brink on the team but she tore her ACL, I think they'd be doing way better if she played.

The ticky-tack calls by the FIBA refs in some of these games if borderline comical.

 

[redbyrds]

The men’s team is coached by current Butler County Community College head coach Joe Lewandowski. They don’t have the players to be successful.

Or the coaches...

 

[Pitt79]

We can't. Youd need players to take time off the NBA schedule to do yearly world championships and the preliminary tournaments. Teams aren't going to release players for that. The IOC is strict about qualifying rules.

The W has a better schedule to allow building a pro team but they had a key injury and the best players are on the 5 on 5 team already. It doesn't pay much either.

That makes sense, if you have to go to qualifying tournaments for 3x3 during NBA, WNBA and college basketball season, of course none of the players in those leagues are doing that, maybe they should reach out to Ice Cube? Maybe it would be good publicity for his Big 3 league to send the Big 3 dream team?

 

[cruzer]

Heard they are adding HORSE for the LA Olympics.

When does the Jarts competition start?

 

[blairdawg]

Couldn't they get the best guys from the Big3 league and let them go play? They are experienced in that format at least and are usually guys that were good college players and got some NBA time. I do think they would have some trouble adjusting to the officiating though as the Big3 league allows more physical play than what I saw in the Olympics

 

[HOF Coach]

When does the Jarts competition start?

Sunday

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

It’s amazing they can’t or didn’t get NBA and WNBA players to play

Two of the four women's players, Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby, play in the WNBA. Howard was the rookie of the year two years ago. One of the other players, Hailey Van Lith would be in the WNBA but she decided to play another year of college ball instead. The fourth player, Cierra Burdick is not playing in the WNBA any more, but she has been playing on US 3x3 teams for a decade.

The fact that they can't get any NBA players to even be interested is strange to me, but WNBA players are and have been interested in playing. In fact one of the women on the 5x5 team this time, Kelsey Plum, played on the 3x3 team last time.

 

[PittPharm2002]

I have to say - I think the 3 on 3 games are a helluva lot more interesting to watch .
Has a Gus Macker vibe

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Rather watch pick up games in a city park.

 

[Pitt79]

Two of the four women's players, Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby, play in the WNBA. Howard was the rookie of the year two years ago. One of the other players, Hailey Van Lith would be in the WNBA but she decided to play another year of college ball instead. The fourth player, Cierra Burdick is not playing in the WNBA any more, but she has been playing on US 3x3 teams for a decade.

The fact that they can't get any NBA players to even be interested is strange to me, but WNBA players are and have been interested in playing. In fact one of the women on the 5x5 team this time, Kelsey Plum, played on the 3x3 team last time.

Marshall Goldberg posted above...

"We can't. Youd need players to take time off the NBA schedule to do yearly world championships and the preliminary tournaments. Teams aren't going to release players for that. The IOC is strict about qualifying rules."

Like I said earlier, get Ice Cube involved, create a Big3 dream team and finance them to go to the qualifiers and international tournaments, good pub for that league.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Marshall Goldberg posted above...

"We can't. Youd need players to take time off the NBA schedule to do yearly world championships and the preliminary tournaments. Teams aren't going to release players for that. The IOC is strict about qualifying rules."

Like I said earlier, get Ice Cube involved, create a Big3 dream team and finance them to go to the qualifiers and international tournaments, good pub for that league.

That isn't entirely true. For instance the 3x3 World Cup last year was from the end of May to early June. Not all NBA players could have played then, but many of them could have. There are events on the 3x3 "tour" that are played when all NBA players could play if they chose to. For instance there was an event in Edmonton the first week of July. Every NBA player "could" have played there, but they choose not to.

But it looks like Edmonton is the only city in the western hemisphere that hosts the games. And I can certainly understand why NBA players have no interest in spending some of their off time playing basketball in places like Chengdu and Ulaanbaatar.

 

[Franb]

That isn't entirely true. For instance the 3x3 World Cup last year was from the end of May to early June. Not all NBA players could have played then, but many of them could have. There are events on the 3x3 "tour" that are played when all NBA players could play if they chose to. For instance there was an event in Edmonton the first week of July. Every NBA player "could" have played there, but they choose not to.

But it looks like Edmonton is the only city in the western hemisphere that hosts the games. And I can certainly understand why NBA players have no interest in spending some of their off time playing basketball in places like Chengdu and Ulaanbaatar.

It is more than just having the time, though. The game has strategies that are different than 5x5 basketball, and it takes time and practice to get acclimated to them. There was article about Jimmer Fredette's journey to the team, and he talked about how he had to approach playing this game, and how it took time to do so. These guys and gals can't just show up and be good at the game. To be on the Olympic team, the 4 players must be in the top 50 ranked 3x3 players in their country, based on how they perform in tournaments around the world, with 2 of those being in the top 10. Top US players, college or pro, are not likely to want to spend the time necessary to reach that level.

From Fredette:
"It's difficult, there's a lot of travel involved all across the world. Sometimes you travel 36 hours for a tournament and if you lose two games you're done in like 20 minutes. ... There's just so much emotion in 3×3 basketball and it's different than five-on-five."

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

The US women won five games in a row to end up the 3rd seed in the medal round. They lost to Spain in overtime in the semis and then beat the Canucks for the bronze.

The men? Better to not speak of them.

 

[mike412]

But it looks like Edmonton is the only city in the western hemisphere that hosts the games. And I can certainly understand why NBA players have no interest in spending some of their off time playing basketball in places like Chengdu and Ulaanbaatar.

I can’t speak for Ulaanbaatar. Never been there and no desire to go.

However, Chengdu is beautiful. First, it’s the home of the most Giant Pandas in the world. Second, it’s ground zero for Szechuan cooking, the very best Chinese cooking (Hainanese is a distant second), and the home base for the Hot Pot. Although it has a few traditional places to visit, it also was the most modern city we visited in 3 weeks in China. Beautiful downtown. One shopping center downtown with every store we can’t afford to buy in but are fun to look at: Prada, Armani, Louis Vuitton, etc. Other shopping centers with pretty much every store you could imagine. Even a branch of the famous London store Harrod’s. And, a McDonald’s and Burger King if you need a change from Szechuan.

It also was the only city we visited in China which had toilet paper in all of the bathrooms. I kid you not. We learned very quickly to carry a roll of toilet paper with us at all times. But, we didn’t need it in Chengdu.

 

[happjack]

FIBA set up the men's side of 3x3 to pretty much exclude NBA players, dumb move on their part since these games suck for that reason, the silly rules and refs calling tons of fouls.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

However, Chengdu is beautiful. First, it’s the home of the most Giant Pandas in the world. Second, it’s ground zero for Szechuan cooking, the very best Chinese cooking (Hainanese is a distant second), and the home base for the Hot Pot. Although it has a few traditional places to visit, it also was the most modern city we visited in 3 weeks in China. Beautiful downtown. One shopping center downtown with every store we can’t afford to buy in but are fun to look at: Prada, Armani, Louis Vuitton, etc. Other shopping centers with pretty much every store you could imagine. Even a branch of the famous London store Harrod’s. And, a McDonald’s and Burger King if you need a change from Szechuan.

That may very well all be true, but the people who are going there for these events aren't there for a vacation, visiting the giant Pandas and whatnot. They are there to work. And that's a long way to go to play in a 3x3 basketball event.

 

[NTOP]

How exactly I wonder? What's her connection to a Muslim, former Soviet Republic?

She's lived there for years.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Flag football is in the next Olympics. Will we be losing at that too?

 

[Pitt79]

Flag football is in the next Olympics. Will we be losing at that too?

NFL players would be morons to play in that

 

[NTOP]

NFL players would be morons to play in that

And they'll do it.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

NFL players would be morons to play in that

I absolutely want to see AB do it. What could go wrong? Lol. He’d be great entertainment.

 

[HOF Coach]

I absolutely want to see AB do it. What could go wrong? Lol. He’d be great entertainment.

What if AB, instead of ripping off his shirt, rips off his pants instead, before running off the field in the middle of the game? Entertainment?