A story about the American 3×3 national squad

You must have heard about the powerful 5×5 basketball national squad led by Michael Jordan. They were called the “dream team” with a reason – they were simply unbeatable and unreachable to their competition. They will be remembered as one of the best generations in the history of classic basketball.

Boys were looking at games of “dream team” in the 90s and they wanted to become successful as them. However, their destiny took them in other directions and they finished in 3×3 basketball. Young American 3×3 stars still have a chance to be at the center of attention since this sport is attracting more and more fans.

How did the story of the USA national squad start?

USA had its debut appearance in the first-ever 3×3 World Cup held in Athens in 2012. Adetayo Adesanya, Ira Brown, Tyree Hardge, and Allen Wiliams were representing USA national squad in Greece.

They competed in group D together with Romania, Turkey, England, Egypt, and Lebanon. This country ended as a first-ranked team at the end of the group stage competition with a 4-1 score. Romania only succeeded to defeat them.

The USA pulled out a 19-17 victory over Bulgaria in the Last 16 phase, before being beaten by Serbia in the quarterfinal with 20-16.

What was the result of the USA in the second World Cup?

Members of the USA national squad during the 2014 World Cup in Russia were Thomas Darrow, Demetrius Miller, Craig Moore, and Jitim Young. Those players believed they are capable of winning the trophy in Moscow.

The USA was battling for the elimination stage in group A along with Poland, Czech Republic, Tunisia, Netherlands, and Germany. It turned out to be an average performance of Thomas Darrow and his teammates as they were defeated three times in the pool.

They qualified for the Last 16 phase thanks to the fact that the four best teams from the group could continue completion. However, Serbia was fatal again for the USA and beat them with 19-15 in the first elimination stage.

Which team represented the USA in the 2016 World Cup?

Stefhon Hannah, Mychael Henry, Kavon Lytch, and Alfonzo McKinnie were playing for the USA in Guangzhou, a Chinese city, in the 2014 World Cup. They were eager to bring their nation long-awaited gold from the planetary championship.

Their rivals in the group stage didn’t look scary for them as they finished the pool phase with four wins out of four fixtures. Netherlands, Japan, Turkey, and China were easily beaten.

USA’s first obstacle on the road to glory was defending champion Qatar. Hannah and his friends defeated an Asian country in a very thrilling game. Guys from the USA pulled out a victory over Slovenia in the semi.

Big rivals Serbia and USA were playing the deciding game of the tournament. The most unforgettable match in the history of 3×3 was finished with the Serbian win and trophy. Bulut and his teammates beat the USA with 21-16. Guys from the USA ended up sad because they disappointed their supporters.

The only thing they could do is to train harder and prepare better for the next tournament.

How did the USA guys react to the devastating loss against Serbia?

Zahir Carrington, Damon Huffman, Dan Mavraides, and Craig Moore were USA players in the fourth World Cup in France.

The USA took part in the World Cup in the city of Nantes in 2017. They were competing with the Netherlands, New Zealand, Indonesia, and South Korea. They lost to the Netherlands with 19-13, but won the remaining three games. The USA guys qualified for the elimination stage where they faced Serbia.

The guys in white shirts won against the USA with 17-14 and crushed their dreams of winning the gold medal. USA country developed a mental barrier against Serbs after many defeats.

Which was the next competition for the USA on its road to glory?

The USA missed the 2018 World Cup in the Philippines and that was another moment of failure. It was another step back for the guys from that country. There was sadness in American 3×3 basketball circles and they had to recover fast because new challenges were in front of them.

USA national squad qualified for the next World Cup in Amsterdam in the hope to do more than the previous times. The goal that American players aimed at was winning the gold medal. The Netherlands was another chance for the basketball force to prove they can still compete at the highest level.

Which place did the USA take in the 2019 World Cup?

The United States was represented by Damon Huffman, Robbie Hummel, Kareem Maddox, and Kanyon Barry. This squad participated in pool A alongside defending champion Serbia, Netherlands, South Korea, and Turkey. Finally, the USA guys won against Serbia in an official match. They beat them with 21-16 and had a perfect 4-0 score after the group stage.

The USA defeated Slovenia and Poland in the quarterfinal and semifinal respectively. Latvia, another powerful force in 3×3 basketball, was waiting in the game for the gold medal. Hummel and his teammates were full of confidence and the 21-14 victory was the culmination of an excellent tournament. Gold was finally in the USA treasures.

You can watch here full final game here:

How did the USA go in the qualifications for the Olympic Games?

3×3 Basketball was included in the Olympics and it had its debut in the 2021 Tokyo Games. It was hard to imagine that competition without USA women or men national squads, but exactly that happened. The USA guys lost shockingly to the Netherlands in qualification’s quarterfinals with 21-16.

That was the end of American dreams and hopes that they could be the first Olympic Games laureate in both women’s and men’s draw. Robbie Hummel didn’t have a good day and the USA left the qualification tournament disappointed.

What was the next competition the USA was involved in?

Not qualifying for Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 was a major blow for the 3×3 USA national squad.

The first edition of 3×3 AmeriCup later that year was a chance for redemption. Trey Bardsley, Canyon Barry, Charlie Brown Jr., and Kareem Maddox represented the team in this competition. The USA was competing in group A along with Mexico and Uruguay and won both games.

Jamaica waited for Kareem Maddox and teammates as the second-placed team in pool C in the quarterfinals. They were beaten with 22-17 and Puerto Rico was defeated in the semifinals. USA pulled out a 21-15 victory over Brasil in the game for gold and the gold was won. 

Spectators in the USA forgot a little bit about failure in the qualification for the Olympics.

What was the USA result in the World Cup 2022?

The seventh World Cup in 3×3 took place in Antwerp, Belgium. The USA was defending champion and they wanted to repeat the result from Amsterdam in 2019. Their roster included: Dominique Jones, James Parrott, Khalil Iverson, and Kidani Brutus. USA national squad was in group D together with Belgium, Austria, Slovenia, and Egypt.

Dominique Jones and his teammates ended as the second-placed team in the pool B with three victories and one defeat. The USA played qualifications for the quarterfinals against New Zealand and passed that obstacle successfully.

Unfortunately, the heroes of our story were defeated in the Top 8 phase against Lithuania and finished their road to second gold.

How was the USA’s performance at the second AmeriCup 2022?

The second AmeriCup was held in Miami in November, 2022. USA came to the tournament with the ambition to defend the title gained one year before. Players in the USA squad were: Canyon Barry, Jimmer Fredette, Kareem Maddox, and Dylan Travis. Canyon and Kareem played in the previous edition of this competition where the trophy was lifted.

United States proceeded with Brazil to the quarterfinals from group A. The United States defeated Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. Kareem Maddox and his teammates faced Puerto Rico in the game for the first place. Puerto Rico was beaten with 21-17 in the final and the celebration could start.

The USA became the world champion in 2019 and that has to be the biggest result in the history of 3×3 basketball. They beat their biggest rivals Serbia in that tournament and the names of those players are written with golden letters in the book of 3×3.

We are carefully waiting for some future generation of USA players to repeat that result and win maybe Olympic Games. Who knows what the future holds?