Big3 league has built a good reputation in the past five seasons. The community has developed great innovations and it continues to surprise spectators all over the world. Many players shocked the positively and negatively Fireball audience with their performances.
One team caught the eye of fans of the most interesting 3×3 league in the world. They are Aliens and they are competing in Big3 since 2019. They passed a thorny road to becoming what they are now. Their growth was something fun to watch over the previous three years. You can see Aliens’ history in the next couple of paragraphs.
How did their road in Big3 start?
Team Aliens was formed in 2019. Andre Owens got the role of captain right away. Andre is a shooting guard and has an interesting career. Owens played in Indiana and Utah in NBA and represented many European clubs like Red Star, Lokomotiv Kuban, Granada, etc.
Kendrick Perkins was representing many teams in the most attractive national basketball league in the world. Perkins wore shirts from Boston, Oklahoma, Cleveland, New Orleans Pelicans, and Cleveland. Kendrick performs in a center position and was appointed immediately as co-captain of Aliens.
Shannon Brown is a shooting guard and was named co-captain of this team in 2019. Brown performed for Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and many others. This player was supposed to be a big strength for this club.
Who was the coach of Aliens in the first season?
Rick Mahorn took charge of Aliens in their debut season in Fireball. Rick has 18 years of experience playing in the NBA and it was a valuable asset to the team we talk about today. Rick was considered one of the “Bad boys” of the Detroit Pistons in the ’80s. Later, Mahorn created a powerful rebound duo with Charles Barkley in Philadelphia.
This coach led the team Trilogy to the first title in Big3 in 2017. Trilogy had nine consecutive victories in that season. Rick received the Award for Coach of the Year at the end of that season.
Which players did Aliens selected on Draft Pool 2019?
Aliens picked Greg Oden as the first option in Draft Pool 2019. Greg played in the center position. Before Big3, Oden represented Miami, Portland, and Jiangsu Dragons in his playing biography.
Shooting guard and small forward Brandon Rush was brought to this team from the second round of the Draft. Rush played in many NBA clubs for nine years. The biggest clubs Brandon played in were Golden State and Indiana.
Robert Vaden performed overseas as a shooting guard and small forward. Vaden couldn’t get a contract with Oklahoma City Thunder. Robert played in the Italian and Slovakian leagues.
Which was the score of Aliens in the 2019 season?
Aliens ended their debut appearance in the Fireball with 3 wins and 5 defeats. It was enough for 10th place and this team had to settle for an average result. Qualification for the playoff stayed a dream for Mahorn’s team in their first season.
The only comfort for Aliens was winning individual recognition. Shannon Brown and Brandon Rush had 100% shooting success for four points and they were the best in the league together with Xavier Silas and Teddy Gipson.]
What the Aliens team looked like in the next season?
Andre Owens, Greg Oden, Shannon Brown, and Brandon Rush remained members of Aliens.
Renaldo Balkman was chosen from the first round of the 2021 Draft Pool. Renaldo was a player of the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, and New York Knicks. His career went in another direction than expected after 2012. This small forward and power forward represented Latino American teams later after the NBA experience.
How successful were Aliens in the 2021 season?
This team finished the fourth season with two victories and four defeats. Aliens took tenth place in the Big3 standings. They didn’t qualify for Best Four for the second time in a row.
The squad and board of the club felt devastated after another failure. It was time for rethinking strategy and reviewing what happened in the past.
Which players were brought to Aliens ahead of the fifth season?
Dusan Bulut had a solid debut season in Power and after that signed for Aliens in the summer of 2022. Dusan, the Serbian player, has a great pedigree as one of the best players in the history of 3×3 basketball. Bulut has played for local teams in Serbia before.
Karlis Lasmanis is a Latvian player who represented his country at Olympics 2021 in Tokyo. Latvian’s national squad won the gold medal and Karlis was a hero with scored 76 points in that tournament. His characteristics are very valuable for any team on the planet.
Tomislav Ivosev was brought as a very important signing for achieving this team’s ambitions in 2022. His playing CV includes teams like Ujpest, Budapest, Debrecen, Kaposvar, etc. He is a good friend of Dusan Bulut and that’s one of the reasons for his arrival to Fireball.
What players did the Aliens pick from the 2022 draft?
Deshawn Stephens was signed as the first pick in the 2022 Draft Pool. Deshawn is playing in the power forward and center positions. His career was international as he represented teams like Banvit, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Fortitudo Bologna, Scafati Basket and others.
Aliens picked Adam Drexler as their second reinforcement during the 2022 Draft. Drexler has a famous dad, Clyde Drexler. Adam got a chance to perform in Big3 and to shine like the brightest star. He was a member of training camps for the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Which place did Aliens take at the end of the 2022 season?
Aliens started strongly in the fifth season with a completely new team compared to the previous competition. They finished the regular part of the season with a 5-3 score and took fourth place. It was sufficient for qualification for Best Four contest.
Bulut’s team was defeated by Trilogy in the semifinal with 50-45 in Tampa. Overall, we can conclude that Mahorn’s team had solid performances and result for the first season in this roster.
You can watch here the most important game in Aliens history:
Who is the biggest name that played in Aliens?
Dusan Bulut is the biggest name who played for Aliens. His winning mentality is simply irresistible for spectators and his teammates. Bulut’s ability to assist from impossible places and shoot from every position is precious.
Dusan’s style is specific and unique and Aliens got leadership in his figure. Bulut can cheer up his colleagues when their team is not playing well. Focus is seen in every Dusan’s move on the court.
What is Mahorn’s coaching style?
Mahorn is having a philosophy that the motivation of his players is crucial. Teaching players that there is no limit to their possibilities on the court. Rick is a dominant figure full of authority and won trophies proving this fact.
Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz had big plans and goals when they were inventing Fireball in 2017. Aliens are an important part of that project. This team has a story that is compelling to fans of Big3 basketball. They still didn’t win a championship, but their supporters don’t lose hope that can happen one day.
Bulut’s team had a big restructuring in their roster ahead of last season. This squad gained much sympathy since 2022. Improvement is already visible as the semifinal is reached in the fifth season. Bigger results will not come quickly, but it is expected that investment pays off in near future.
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