Jordan Swopshire poses for FIBA photographers at the inaugural FIBA 3x3 Youth World Championship in Rimini, Italy.

(FIBA Photos)

The USA Boys 3x3 Team (7-5) finished in eighth place in the inaugural FIBA 3x3 Youth World Championship in Rimini, Italy, after falling to Canada in its final game of the tournament.

Facing Estonia in a medal quarterfinal Sunday morning, the U.S. held its opponent to just five points in the second period but could not recover from Estonia's 16 first-quarter points, losing 21-12 to end the USA's medal hopes. Rondaé Jefferson (Chester H.S./Chester, Pa.) led the red, white and blue with seven points. That same story was repeated in the USA's 21-15 loss to Russia, with the USA unable to rebound after allowing 16 first-period points. Jefferson tallied six points against Russia, while Jordan Swopshire (SportsQuest Academy, Va./Ofallon, Mo.) and Malik Price-Martin (Monsignor Edward Pace H.S./ Miami, Fla.) added four points apiece.

“We just didn’t play with the intensity that we needed to today,” said B.J. Johnson, USA Basketball Assistant Men’s National Team Director and boys team leader. “We gave up a lot of second-chance points, which really makes it tough because it just helps the other team build confidence and really makes the basket look big. If you know you can get rebounds, you’re not afraid to take long shots with confidence.

"We played well against some of the better teams in this competition, but we started off slow today and that set the wrong tone for the day. After losing to Estonia we got down on ourselves, and the one thing about 3-on-3 is you have to have short memory. Our guys played hard, but it was tough to overcome that first loss.

"There is no question that these players got better," Johnson continued. "From the time we started through our final game, I’m really proud of how far they’ve come and how much they improved."

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