The 3×3 World Tour is the most prestigious 3×3 competition under FIBA where the best squads on the planet are competing for the title of the best team in a specific season. During its 11 editions, many great games and players were seen by the spectators.
Thrilling Masters and Challengers were tournaments in which amazing actions and individual moves cheered up the audience in the stands.
Currently, the best team in the world is Serbian Ub. We are going to talk today about the champion of World Tour 2022 and how they have evolved to those golden days.
How was Ub formed actually?
During the summer of 2018, a team under the name Vrbas appeared for the first time in World Tour on Debrecen Masters. Filip Simic, Marko Brankovic, Stefan Sinovec, and Strahinja Stojacic formed a powerful quartet in the team that was called like the Brazilian soccer club – Avai.
Strahinja Stojacic, the younger brother of Stefan Stojacic, was a 26 years-old player who was catching the attention of a 3×3 basketball audience with his attractive play.
Marko Brankovic was from the start important part of this spontaneous project and a big weapon of Avai with his two-point range shots.
What happened in Ub’s debut season on World Tour?
The debut Avai’s performance was in Debrecen Masters against powerful winning machine Novi Sad led by the biggest star of 3×3 Dusan Bulut and Dejan Majstorovic. Avai lost the game with 21-15 and later won in a tight clash against Slovenian team Kranj with 21-19 to proceed to the elimination phase.
Avai lost convincingly against Latvian team Riga with 21-12, but the guys from Serbia could leave the tournament proud of their achievement. That was the only appearance on the biggest tournaments in the 2018 World Tour for Avai, but surely quartet from Serbia put themselves on a 3×3 basketball map.
Which players represented Ub in their second season on World Tour?
Following the debut 2018 season, Vrbas fans raised hopes and expectations regarding the achievement of this team in 2019. The aim was higher than only participation in the most prestigious world 3×3 club’s competition, so the roster had some changes compared to the previous campaign.
The squad for the second Serbian team season involved Marko Brankovic, Strahinja Stojacic, Danilo Mijatovic, and Ivan Popovic.
Danilo Mijatovic was brought because of his strength inside the pain and his ability to dunk, block opposite players, or score from distance.
Ivan Popovic was seen as reinforcement because of his shooting abilities, a reliable option on the offensive side of the game, and dedication in defense.
How far did Ub go in the 2019 season?
Second Avai’s season brought massive progress in their result as they reached the final of the Saskatoon Masters. Serbian roster fell short first against Slovenian Piran with 21-16, and then defeated Old Montreal with 21-17.
The score of 1-1 was sufficient in the pool stage for taking place in the quarterfinal where Marko Brankovic and his teammates faced Liman and surprisingly won 21-17. Amsterdam was defeated in the semis in overtime with 19-18, so the Serbian guys played the game for first place.
Unfortunately, Piran was once again better and won against our heroes with 21-14.
How did Ub’s roster look like in 2020?
Fiba’s rules are that each club participating in its competition has to be named after a certain city. Ub’s City Hall offered general sponsorship to the team and the name was officially changed to Ub.
Miroslav Pasajlic strengthened the roster as he replaced Danilo Mijatovic to help in Ub’s high ambition in a new campaign. Miroslav was a former basketball player who redirected his focus later to 3×3 basketball thanks to abilities to think fast and score crucial shots in the game.
Which stage did Ub reach in the 2020 season?
After a shocking pandemic hit the planet, the 2020 season started in August of 2020.
The best teams on the planet gathered again to compete for the title of champion. The first station for Ub was Hungary Masters where Serbian guys played some amazing 3×3 basketball, won against favorite Novi Sad in the semis, and reached the final against Latvian team Riga.
Suffering defeat with 21-20 in a thrilling final game was hard for Miroslav and his teammates, but they realized their level is not far from the greatest teams in the world. Taking part in Doha Masters ending in 10th place was a great introduction to participating in the Jeddah Final.
Losing once again to Riga in the quarterfinal of the Jeddah Final was a solid result overall pushing guys to train harder for future challenges.
What were the changes in Ub’s squad for the 2021 season?
Qualifying for Jeddah Final in the previous season was a massive step for the Serbia team on their road to glory. Famous players Dejan Majstorovic and Marko Savic parted ways with Novi Sad before the 2021 campaign and joined Ub, so Strahinja Stojacic’s team became suddenly a big favorite for finishing the season in the first place.
Logically, Ub wanted Marko Savic because of his stamina under the rim and the assists he could provide to his fellow teammates.
How successful was Ub in the 2021 season?
Following the arrivals of Marko Savic and Dejan Majstorovic, Ub started playing amazing 3×3 basketball.
Finishing in 2nd place at Lausanne Masters was a great boost to Serbian players to continue in that spirit.
Consequentially, the Serbian team was more ambitious for the next Masters which turned out to be maybe the most crucial tournament in the history of this team. Winning the trophy in Hungary by beating Latvian Riga in the final with 21-19 pushed the Serbian guys to clinch the trophy also in Montreal.
Eventually, losing to Antwerp in the quarterfinals and ending in 6th place in the Final in Jeddah was a little disappointing for Dejan Majstorovic and his fellow teammates.
Which players represented Ub in 2022?
Ending the previous season in 6th place was a signal that the newly-formed team out of players who represented the Serbian national squad was ready to attack the world throne. Marko Savic went overseas, so Nemanja Barac replaced him on the roster for the fifth Serbian team’s season in World Tour.
After finishing his basketball career, Nemanja Barac wanted to try something new. He was an attractive signing for Ub as a guy who has a reputation of being a hard worker and a psychically strong player.
How good was team Ub in the 2022 season?
Following the arrival of Nemanja Barac, Ub won the first Masters of the World Tour – Utsunomia Opener in Japan.
Pulling out a victory in a game for first place over Liman was the best way to start the season in which the goals were set very high. Triumphs at Masters in Manila, Prague, and Lausanne with excellent performances promised an amazing season for Ub. However, in the next couple of Masters form of Serbian guys dropped and chemistry disappeared.
Lack of energy affected results but only before the final Abu Dhabi Masters. Ub led by Marko Brankovic returned to old winning patterns in the Final tournament of the year winning in the final against Vienna with 21-14.
The absolute conclusion is that this team can win trophies constantly and has the tendency to have long winning streaks. The previous calendar year was excellent for Serbian players as they won the first and last Masters in the 11th season of World Tour, a popular 3×3 competition.
The guys know each other well and it is very hard for opponents to beat them when Stojacic and company have their day. Certainly, the Serbian team was so dominant in 2022 because of good chemistry inside the team and perfect combination of tactic and technique.
Honestly, the biggest candidates for accolades and recognition in 2023 are players from Ub. Last year’s winners are playing also for qualification to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris where Serbia wants to win the gold. What is a bigger motive than that fact? Say your opinion to us.
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