First Impressions: Women’s and Men’s 3x3 Basketball
Unlike a regular 5x5 basketball game, in 3x3, there isn’t much time to get a feel for things.
There are constant substitutions, a 10-minute game format, a 12-second shot clock and no coaches sitting on the sidelines. Players must work together to attack from the get go in order to give their team a chance.
Both United States squads took to the courts for their first pool play matchups of the 2024 Olympic Games on July 30. The women’s team took on Germany and the men’s team took on Serbia. Unfortunately for Team USA, both groups lost in these inaugural contests.
Here are some first impressions of Team USA's women’s and men’s 3x3 games:
Women’s 3x3 Game One
The women’s squad got off to a quick 5-0 start against Germany. Before they could establish themselves in the driver’s seat, however, Germany rattled off six straight points to go ahead 6-5 in the early going. Germany ultimately defeated the United States 17-13.
At age 22, TCU guard Hailey Van Lith may be the youngest player on Team USA’s roster, but she was the one making things happen when the Americans gelled offensively. Van Lith finished with a team-high six points, and in addition to hitting Team USA’s lone 2-pointer, she tallied three rebounds and two key assists.
“I thought I would make an Olympic team, I didn’t think I would be 22 when I made an Olympic team,” Van Lith said in an interview on July 27. “So the fact that I made it this young was definitely not what I always thought.”
Cierra Burdick, who last played in the WNBA with the Seattle Storm in 2021 as part of the inaugural league Commissioner’s Cup championship, also filled out the box score. She finished with five points and four key assists. Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream and Dearica Hamby of the Los Angeles Sparks chipped in a basket apiece.
Team USA shot well overall with its one-point field goals, going 10-for-20 for the game. Where the Americans struggled was from 2-point range, with the team going just 1-for-8. Germany went 4-for-10 from 2-point range and out-rebounded Team USA 18-14.
When the shots start to fall from deep over the course of pool play, this team will certainly have more success. Now that Team USA has a game under its belt, it will be interesting to see how they play coming out of the gates in game two.
The United States’ next game is against Azerbaijan at 3:30 p.m. EST on July 31.
Men’s 3x3 Game One
The men’s 3x3 game showed high intensity from the first possession. Fouls were rampant throughout the contest, with 18 total fouls committed between the two teams. This made for constant stoppages of gameplay.
It was tight in the early going, with the United States carrying a slight edge on the scoreboard. Eventually, Team USA carried a 10-9 lead, but soon after, Serbia found its groove and the momentum shifted.
An unsportsmanlike foul on Team USA’s Canyon Barry gave Serbia a one-point lead after splitting the free throws. Serbia then had possession, which got them to the free throw line again and turned their one-point lead into a three-point lead over Team USA.
From there, Serbia began to pull away and before the 10 minutes of game time had run out, Serbia hit a 3-point dagger to win the game 22-14. Throughout the game, Serbia did not miss a one-point shot while Team USA missed six one-point shots.
For Team USA, former Princeton forward Kareem Maddox led the way on the scoring front, finishing with six points. Former BYU and NBA guard Jimmer Fredette was close behind with four points. Barry, who finished his collegiate career with Florida, and Dylan Travis, who finished his collegiate career at Florida Southern, both had one point for the game.
If Fredette can get more looks from 2-point range and Team USA can capitalize on its cuts in the paint, this squad will have better chances moving forward.
“It’s hard for me to get satisfied,” Fredette said in an interview on July 28. “I feel like there’s always something to improve on and get better. Obviously, if we were to do well at the Olympics and possibly win or medal, I think that would feel really good.”
Team USA’s next game is against Poland at 4:35 p.m. EST on July 31. Like the women’s 3x3 squad, the men’s 3x3 squad will look to pick up its first Olympic victory in its second pool play go-around.