This story appears on SLAM Presents USA Basketball. Buy now!
Let’s go back to where it all began. Before learning how to play full court, you need to be comfortable navigating the half court. That’s what basketball is all about. From the fast-paced pickup games on famous courts like Rucker Park to the shell drills that every great basketball team engages in, 3×3 basketball is the foundation of the high-flying, up-and-down 5×5 game we’ve come to love.
For the second time in Olympic history, 3×3 basketball is in full swing as countries will compete for a medal, and for the first time in Olympic history, USA Basketball will have a team competing on the men’s side.
After winning gold at the 2023 Pan Am Games and making a name for themselves on the FIBA 3×3 World Tour circuit, the US Men’s National 3×3 Team automatically qualified for this year’s Paris Games by entering the field as the No. 2 seed. seed
The four-man squad has been playing together for several years now, and that chemistry will be vital to any success they hope to achieve. But if chemistry and togetherness are the key to the Gold, the team will still need some strong individual performances. Come meet the men who make up the first USA 3×3 Men’s Olympic Team in USA Basketball history.
There is no one better to represent the United States in 3×3 basketball than Jimmer Fredette, one of the nation’s most popular college basketball players of all time. He is a star. He’s a box office hit, and if he’s on your team, you always have a chance to win. Very few can compete with Jimmer when it comes to putting the ball in the basket. He can catch fire like no one else, and his ability to bunch buckets will be valuable in Paris. Name a BYU or Mountain West Conference scoring/shooting record, and Jimmer has a good chance of holding it.
The former NCAA leading scorer and player of the year knows nothing comes easy, though his natural knack for scoring might have you think otherwise. Jimmer took the college basketball world by storm when he embarked on his remarkable individual run at BYU in 2011. He will look to re-energize the country, this time chasing an Olympic gold medal and a first for the US men’s 3×3. the story. Jimmer has earned two gold medals and one silver medal in his 3×3 FIBA career, which began in late 2022. This time around, it could be argued that the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been. If there’s one thing you need to know about Jim, know this. If you need a bucket, all you have to do is say the word and it will be done.
“Defense wins championships.” This is one of the most used sayings in the history of team sports. As basketball continues to tilt more and more in favor of offense, having a lock down defender at your disposal who can offset the offensive firepower is as important as ever. Here’s what Kareem Maddox brings to the USA Basketball 3×3 Men’s National Team this summer. The Princeton alum and Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Ivy League selection (2011) is the team’s anchor. Along with his defensive prowess, Maddox is a capable scorer with years of professional 3×3 experience dating back to 2018 when he was named MVP at the USA Basketball 3×3 National Championships. Since then, he has earned five gold medals and one silver medal in FIBA 3×3 during his career.
It is very difficult, almost impossible, to win a gold medal in 3×3 basketball without at least one shooter on the team. Fortunately for USA Basketball, shooting is Canyon Barry’s specialty. The 6-6, 215-pound guard is the son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry and is doing his part to continue the Barry basketball tradition of winning. The younger Barry scored 1,000 points in college and averaged 20 points as a junior in Charleston before an injury cut his season short. He transferred to Florida the following season, where he earned 2017 SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors. Canyon is a solid guard who also brings experience to the table and a handful of hardware to show for it. He has four gold medals and one silver medal in FIBA 3×3 competition and won the 2022 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup MVP award. If this year’s men’s 3×3 national team has any chance of securing gold in Paris, Canyon will have to reach for the bag he was in when he helped lead the Florida Gators to the Elite Eight in 2017. strong performances he’s had on the FIBA 3×3 circuit, there’s no reason to doubt he’ll be ready when it comes.
The latest member of the group is Florida Southern College graduate Dylan Travis. Travis is the only player on the Men’s 3×3 National Team who hasn’t played at the Division I level, but any true hoops or hoops fan knows how it goes; the nation’s top Division II players can compete at any level. As a junior in 2015, Travis led his team to a Division II national championship before spending several seasons playing professionally overseas. In 2022, Travis made his USA Basketball 3×3 debut, where he immediately made his presence felt. He’s a sniper who can also get to the bowl under pressure and cause rushes for defenders. He has two gold medals and one silver medal in his FIBA career. For now…
As the 2024 Games prepare to begin, the United States qualified four basketball teams for the Olympics for the first time. The newest team, the men’s 3×3 team, is sure to shine like an Olympic flame right at home on the courts of Paris.
SLAM PRESENTS USA BASKETBALL NOW AVAILABLE!
Photos via Getty Images.
