USA Basketball 3x3 National Team Training Camp/Tournament Opens

Colorado Springs, Colo. • July 6, 2012

• Standings/Results

• Teams

• FIBA 3x3 Rules

The 2012 USA Basketball 3x3 National Team Training Camp/Tournament began on Friday as 11 men’s teams gathered at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) to determine the 2012 USA Basketball 3x3 National Team.

The event opened with a skills challenge, featuring a 3-point shootout, obstacle challenge and team hotshot (two-player shooting competition), followed by the start of pool play for the men’s tournament. The men’s tournament will continue with pool play and the quarterfinals on Saturday before the semifinals and finals conclude the tournament on Sunday. The women’s tournament will be held entirely on Sunday, and both the men’s and women’s 2012 USA Basketball 3x3 National Team representatives will be announced on Sunday.

Of the 11 men’s teams in attendance six have been invited to Colorado Springs after competing in various Hoop It Up tournaments across the country, three were invited from the USA Basketball 3x3 Qualifying Tournament at the University of Denver on June 24, one team was invited from NBA Nation in Los Angeles, Calif., and one team was invited from the Desert Classic Pro-Am League in Phoenix, Ariz.

“The goal of this weekend is to evaluate the 11 teams invited to perform at the first ever USA Basketball 3x3 Tournament and select the strongest overall team to represent USA Basketball at the FIBA 3x3 World Championship,” said USA Basketball 3x3 Program Director Travis Johnson. “During tonight’s first two rounds of the men’s competition, we had more upsets than expected, which will lead to a strong day of competition tomorrow.”

Both a men’s and women’s team, though not necessarily the tournament’s winning team, will be chosen as the 2012 USA Basketball 3x3 National Team by the 2012 USA Basketball 3x3 National Team Committee following the conclusion of the tournament. The 2012 USA Basketball 3x3 National Team Committee consists of Johnson, as well as Washington Wizards Vice President of Player Personnel Milt Newton and Deer Lakes High School (Cheswick, Penn.) boys basketball head coach Joe Lewandowski.

The members of the 2012 USA Basketball 3x3 National Team will represent the U.S. at the inaugural FIBA 3x3 World Championship played August 23 – 26 in Athens, Greece. Prior to departing for Athens, the men’s and women’s teams will reconvene at the USOTC for a training camp from August 17 – 20.

Men’s pool play began on Friday night with the first two of five rounds of games. Through the first two rounds, ATO (Philadelphia Hoop It Up) leads Pool A with a 2-0 record, while both Team Denver (Denver Hoop It Up) and Desert Pro-Am (Desert Classic Pro-Am League in Phoenix, Ariz.) lead Pool B at 2-0. Men’s pool play will resume on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. (MDT), and the top four teams from each pool will begin quarterfinals play scheduled for 4:00 p.m.