JAKARTA– FIBA is holding its 3×3 world championships for u18 boys and girls in this hot, overcrowded city of 10 million in Southeast Asia that is filled with thousands of scooters and cars that created constant traffic jams and air pollution.
The tournament, which includes 32 boys’ teams and 24 girls’ teams, began playing games Thursday on half of a regulation FIBA court, several which have been set up in a huge city park 20 minutes from the business center. If fans here can survive the 95-degree F weather and the brutal late afternoon humidity, they might discover this fast spaced, highly skilled sport is a breath of fresh air and would make an intriguing addition to the 2016 Olympics when it applies to get the game included in the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo.
Basketball is constantly evolving and this variation of an old school game initially developed on outdoor inner city asphalt courts in the United States and is currently played by more than 250 million players worldwide, has become a chance for smaller countries like the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia from Southeast Asia, where the game was first tested, to compete on more equal footing with traditional powers like the United States, Spain, France Germany and Argentina in large part because the threat of value of a bigger, low post scoring threat has been watered down because there is no dunking unless there are break away rims, a 12-second shot clock, no bench coaching and .more value placed on quickness, team chemistry and creating good shots off ball movement because shots made behind the three point arc are worth two points while all other field goals and free throws are worth one.
The game is played with a smaller size 6 basketball to facilitate better ball handling.
The concept was first instituted at the 2007 Asian Indoor games at Macau and introduced at the international level at the 2009 Asian Youth Games in Singapore and became internationally popular in the Youth championships in 2010 at Singapore. China conducts thousands of weekend 3×3 tournaments and tournaments are held on almost a weekly basis throughout Southeast Asia.
The senior men’s and woman’s championships will be held next June in Moscow.
Surprisingly, despite a strong push from FIBA, which felt 3×3 would compliment the 5×5 game that same way beach volleyball complemented volleyball, the IOC decided against adding the sport as part of the program in the 2016 games in Rio, likely due to the country wide economic protests that surrounded the Confederations Cup in soccer held in Brazil earlier this year and desire on the part of the IOC to limit events to appear fiscally responsible.
In a statement the IOC’s executive board said that any “any request from International Federations that would result in a higher number of athletes or increased number of medals, thereby adding to the cost and complexity of the Games, would not be considered. At a later stage, the IOC will study the quota-neutral requests already made by IFs for either a swap of event or modifications of competition format.”
Basketball has become a true global game, but it is surprisingly receiving less support in an effort to increase its profile in the modern Olympic games. FIBA was turned down on its request to increase the number of teams in the Olympic tournament from 12 to 16, offering to reduce the amount of games by slicing into the current format of two groups of six with five preliminary games. FIBA wanted four groups of four with three preliminary round games but pro leagues throughout the world, including the NBA, complained the two-week Olympic competition was too long and took a physical and mental toll on the players involved between the end of one season and the start of another.
The request to increase the number of teams was viewed as a compromise with those pushing for a 23-and-under age restriction for the men’s competition. While there is no age limit for the 2016 Olympics, it is a possibility for the Tokyo Games, especially as FIBA tries to change the value of an Olympic medal after the 2019 World Cup. In international basketball, the World Cup, formerly the world championships, is more prestigious than the Olympics.
“We are very disappointed to learn that, as a consequence, 3×3 would not be considered at this stage, based on reasons unrelated to the merits of the discipline,” FIBA said in a statement. “We strongly believe that 3×3 is an exciting and spectacular discipline which offers a unique cocktail of sports and urban culture and would perfectly fit within the Olympic Games and responds to the IOC’s clear wish to rejuvenate and modernize the summer program. We are very thankful to Rio 2016 for their continued support in our efforts for the inclusion of 3×3.
“At the same time, 3×3 remains a unique opportunity for the basketball family to further grow and develop around the world, from the streets to the world stage, and in countries that have traditionally been less successful with basketball nationally and internationally.”
It all makes too much sense, much like the addition of X-game events made sense when they were added to the winter games program to increase popularity..
If there is any silver lining in all this, it will be a chance for FIBA to define the ever changing rules and for Team USA to figure the game out a little better.
For now, the game is played in one 10 minute period. The winner is the first team to score 21 points. If neither team reaches 33 points at the end of regulation, the team with the highest score wins, as in regular basketball. A tie in regulation leads to as many overtimes of 2 minutes as are needed to produce a winner, either by one team being ahead at the end of an overtime or by a team reaching 21 points. There are no timeouts and teams begins shooting free throws after seven. On each possession, a player from the offensive team must pass the ball to a teammate before a shot can be taken. If the defense gains possession of the ball within the two point area, by a steal or rebound, the ball must be passed outside the area, then passed again before a shot is taken.
Rosters consist of four players and one sub who can be used if a player fouls out with four personals.
This has been been a sport the America men are still searching for a way to dominate.
The first FIBA 3×3 Youth World Championship was held in Rimini, Italy in 2011 and was won by New Zealand. The first senior men’s FIBA 3×3 World Championship and senior women’s FIBA 3×3 World Championship for Women tournaments were held in Greece, in August of 2012, where Serbia won the men’s gold, the Spain won the women’s title and France won the first ever mixed competition. The second FIBA 3×3 Youth World Championship was held in Alcobendas, Spain in 2012, Serbian men won gold, edging the United States, 21-20 in overtime after Arizona freshman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson tied the score with a layup as time ran out in regulation. The U.S. women won gold, ending Spain’s reign and France again won the mixed, beating Switzerland in the final.
The U.S. U18 woman’s team here will be represented by four high school players– Gabby Green of St. Mary’s College High in Oakland, Arike Ogunbowale of Devine Savior Holy Angels H.S in Milwaukee, Katie Lou Samuelson of Mater Dei High in Huntington Beach and University of Notre Dame commit Brianna Turner of Manvel High in Pearland, Tex. Turner, who captured gold this summer with the 2013 USA U19 World Championship Team, while also winning gold medals last summer as a member of the USA U17 World Championship and USA 3×3 U18 World Championship teams, is the only returning starter from last year’s 3×3 winning team.
The USA U18 men’s team features Cliff Alexander, a 6-9, top 5 prospect from Curie High in Chciago, who is making his first appearance in a USA uniform; University of Tennessee commit Larry Austin Jr. from Lanphier H.S. in Springfield, Ill., University of Colorado commit Dominique Collier from Denver East and and Cleveland State University signet DeMonte Flannigan of Villa Angela-St. Joseph H.S in .Cleveland. Austin and Flannigan we’re half of the 2012 USA 3×3 U18 team that won a silver medal and Collier has also played in Team USA’s grass roots program.
The talent pool is limited in some ways because most of the best 18 year old college freshmen who are eligible are enrolled in class and the start of practice has been moved up to the end of this week. If the sport, which gained some notoriety with the Gus Macker tournaments, wants to continue to grow in America, moving the tournament in June might lead to better, more experienced representation.
