World Tour competition has a very significant contribution to the popularity of 3×3 basketball. The previous 11 editions of this contest have been super interesting and gave the 3×3 crowd a lot of excitement and ecstasy. We have seen so many good teams and players on the court, while fans are still talking about the thrilling games they have witnessed.
One of the teams that marked the history of World Tour is NY Harlem, for sure. A team from the USA took place in many amazing games held over the past 8 years and produced playing stars in this beautiful game. Let’s quickly preview their road to fame.
Which squad represented NY Harlem in their first season in World Tour?
NY Harlem competed for the first time in the 2015 season with Edis Dervisevic, Dominique Jones, Kevin Josey, and David Seagers on the roster.
Dominique Jones aka “Disco Domo” played for Harlem Globetrotters shortly in 2015 being famous for shooting free throws one-handed. Also, Jones was recognized as a big talent in his sophomore, junior, and senior year at Wadleigh high school.
Edis Dervisevic is a tall basketball player who performed for Long Beach State 49ers in the NCAA league and played in the power forward position. One of the members was David Seagers who attended Thurgood Marshal Academy in Harlem, New York. Finally, Kevin Josey finished undrafted in the 2010 NBA draft and decided to play 3×3 basketball.
How successful was NY Harlem in its debut campaign?
USA’s team took part in Mexico Masters where they ended in second place losing to compatriots Denver in the final with 21-19. Consequentially, finishing as runner-up gave confidence to Dominique and his teammates for Final Masters held in Abu Dhabi.
The same members represented NY Harlem in the United Arab Emirates hoping they could go one step further compared to the tournament in Mexico. However, the guys lost the semifinal against Slovenian team Kranj with 21-19 leaving a good impression overall in that campaign.
What happened in 2016 with NY Harlem?
Ahead of the start of the second NY Harlem’s season in the most popular club’s international competition, Tyquan “Wink” Brown replaced Kevin Josey on the roster. USA’s team competed at the first Masters of the season which was held in Mexico City. Losing to Puerto Rican team Caguas with 21-19 and winning against Mexico City with 21-10 was sufficient for qualifying for the quarterfinal.
Jones and his teammates pulled out victories over Uruguayan Montevideo and Canadian Saskatoon in the quarterfinal and semifinal, respectively.
Unfortunately, the journey for the heroes of today’s story was over when they lost against Caguas in the game for first place with 21-20.
Which result did this team achieve in their third campaign in World Tour?
Following the second NY Harlem’s season in World Tour, Chris Hooper substituted Tyquan “Wink” Brown. His teammates accepted him warmly hoping that they all together could win Masters in a new campaign.
USA’s team entered Saskatoon Masters with high expectations and took part in group B together with Montreal and Liman. The Canadian team was beaten with 18-11, while the Serbian guys defeated NY Harlem with 21-17.
Dominique Jones and his colleagues proceeded to the elimination stage where they faced hosts Saskatoon. The Canadian team was not hospitable as they won against the heroes of today’s story with 17-15 and eliminated them from further competition.
What occurred with the heroes of our today’s story in this prestigious competition?
After failing to win any major trophy in 2018, NY Harlem wanted to change the impression they left on their supporters in the previous season. Marcel Esonwune and Antoinne Morgano replaced Chris Hooper and Edis Dervisevic in the roster, so spectators set big expectations before the new season.
Despite new arrivals, NY Harlem ended the Masters in Mexico City in fifth place losing to Ljubljana in the quarterfinals with 21-20. The team improved its performance in the Penang Masters, but it was enough only for reaching the semifinal. In the semis, David Seagers and friends were defeated by Serbian Liman with 21-16.
What was the Masters that guys from this team won in 2019?
After many years of waiting, impatient supporters of NY Harlem finally had reason to celebrate. Swiss city Lausanne was lucky for guys from the USA as they clinched their first-ever trophy. The roster was strengthened by the arrivals of Joey King and Kidani Brutus.
Kidani Brutus, Joey King, Dominique Jones, and Marcel Esonwune represented NY Harlem at legendary Masters in Switzerland. They beat hosts Lausanne and French Lyon in the group stage to proceed to the next phase of the competition.
Following a successful pool stage, Kidani and his teammates pulled out a victory over another French team Nantes with 20-18 after overtime. Convincing victory against Russian team Corolev in the semis sent Harlem to a big final fixture.
Finally, players in white jerseys defeated compatriots Princeton with 21-15 and grabbed the first major tournament for USA’s teams since 2016.
Later, NY Harlem participated at Utsunomiya Masters and took 8th place losing to Princeton in the quarterfinals with 21-12.
How did the guys from NY Harlem handle the pressure of winning in the upcoming season?
Before the start of World Tour’s ninth edition today’s hero’s roster included Kidani Brutus, Joey King, Dominique Jones, Marcel Esonwune, Egzon Gjonbalaj, and David Seagers.
Breaking a mental barrier in 2019 was supposed to be a big boost for guys from the USA as they were aiming to win as many trophies as possible in the 2020 pandemic season. However, NY Harlem went on to take only two 4th places in Europa and Hungary Masters until the beginning of the Final Masters in Jeddah.
Finally, proceeding to the quarterfinal was the maximum this team could achieve in that campaign. Losing to mighty Novi Sad with 21-16 in the quarterfinal was a result that disappointed a little Jones and his teammates.
What did Harlem’s roster look like in 2021?
Five players represented USA’s team in the 2021 campaign and those were: Kidani Brutus, Joey King, Dominique Jones, Marcel Esonwune, and Antoinne Morgano. The squad competed first in Doha Masters where they took 8th place losing to Dutch Amsterdam in the quarterfinal in overtime with 19-18.
Subsequently, Brutus and his colleagues took part in a tournament in Lausanne hoping to leave a better impression than in previous Masters. However, Serbian Liman was too strong in the Top 8 beating them with 21-15.
How far did Dominique and his teammates go in the 2022 campaign?
Marcel Esonwune, Dominique Jones, Joey King, and Antoinne Morgano performed for USA’s team in the 2022 season believing they can finally play important role in Final Masters.
Despite having high expectations, the players from the USA ended the competition devastated as they reached only one semifinal in a whole season. It happened in Paris Masters where Disco Domo and his teammates lost to Dutch Utrecht in the semis with 21-19. The heroes of today’s paragraphs did not qualify for Final Masters in Abu Dhabi and now is the time for recapitulation and making a new team’s strategy.
The guys from the USA still didn’t win the trophy, but they are aiming to do exactly that in the upcoming years.
Their history is full of good players who contributed a lot to the team’s identity over the past couple of seasons. Is the team going to win the trophy?
Is their player going to win the MVP award? It’s very challenging to answer that one-million-dollar question. All we know is that whoever plays for NY Harlem is going to adapt and put his best to win every single game.
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