2019 FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup Player Preview: Greg Hire

Greg Hire does the little things that make a big difference, with Australian 3×3 men’s coach Dave Biwer saying the four-time NBL champion sets the benchmark for the rest of the team.

Hire’s bulldog type nature has seen him become a constant in the Australian 3×3 national team, as he heads to China for this weekend’s FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup alongside Tim Coenraad, Lucas Walker and Tom Wright.

When explaining what he anticipates from him at the Asia Cup, Biwer couldn’t speak highly enough about Hire’s defensive capabilities.

“When I talk about Hire, I want hustle…I want every loose ball, every rebound, every fight for position on defence to be ours,” Biwer said.

“The one percenters is what Greg brings, he brings us extra shots, he brings us basketball IQ.

“We want that toughness that Hire brings and he sets the benchmark for everyone else.

“He shows everyone how hard you have to play the game.”

Biwer also discussed how Hire brings a unique knowledge to the offensive side of the floor, saying even though he may not score a lot, he still produces positive results.

“He hunts down our scorers to get them open and then he plays off them,” Biwer said.

“He opens up opportunities for our scorers and then he kind of opens up scoring opportunities for himself by doing that with pick and rolls and creating switches with the defence and causing mismatches.”

Australia’s 3×3 Asia Cup campaign begins on Friday at 7:20pm AEST.