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FIBA 3×3 World Challenger Sydney | Preview
What: FIBA 3×3 World Challenger Sydney
When: 2pm – 8:30pm, Friday May 18 and 4pm – 9:00pm, Saturday May 19
Where: Overseas Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay, Sydney
The first ever FIBA 3×3 Challenger event begins at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal on Friday, with the top teams from around the world joining the best Australia has to fight it out for US$10k in prize money and places on the FIBA World Tour, where the winnings skyrocket again.
Teams have qualified for the event based on their results in previous FIBA 3×3 events, with the host and FIBA also granting squads wildcard positions in the competition.
The field for the Sydney Challenger is no short of stellar, with five of the top 15 ranked teams arriving this week. The headline act is the #4 ranked team in the world, Piran.
The Piran squad is comprised of players from the Slovenian 3×3 National Team, with all four set to compete for their nation in the FIBA 3×3 World Cup next month.
5 out of the top 15 @FIBA3x3 teams in the WORLD have made their way to Sydney for the first ever Challenger event in Australia ??
The headline act is the Piran team who are ranked 4th in the ?, made up of some serious Slovenian stars #SydneyChallenger pic.twitter.com/1usYnZY1ml
— 3×3 Hustle (@3x3Hustle) May 17, 2018
They’ll face stiff competition from the Belgrade squad, which includes 3×3 legend and Dragan Bjelica, cousin of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Nemanja Bjelica. They sit at #8 in the world at the moment.
The international field also includes teams from the Netherlands (#11 in the world), Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Switzerland (#15 in the world), Czech Republic, Japan and Chinese Taipei.
The field of 10 international teams face the six local Australian teams with the standout being Melbourne’s iAthletic, finalists in all three of the 3×3 Pro Hustle events.
The iAthletic team includes the top two 3×3 players in Australia in Andrew Steel and Tom Wright, with 3×3 FIBA Asia Cup MVP Tom Garlepp also joining them for this competition. Their squad is rounded out by two-time NBL championship winner Tommy Greer, making them the clear standout in the Australian field.
While the winners of the Sydney Challenger will take home $10,000 USD, second place will win $6,000, third $2,000 and fourth $1,000 along with places on the FIBA 3×3 World Tour.
With that kind of prize money on the line, these teams mean business in Sydney.
How to watch
If you’re in Sydney get down to the Overseas Passenger Terminal and see the action for yourself.
Click here to purchase tickets
If you can’t get down to watch in person, we’re bringing the stream to you all day from the show court with Matt McQuade and Nathan Strempel calling all the action.
You can catch the action on:
Keep it locked to @3x3hustle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the day.
Full Schedule for the Sydney Challenger below..
Friday – May 18
2:00pm – 4:00pm | Qualifying Draw
4:00pm – 8:30pm | Pool Games
Saturday – May 19
5:00pm – 6:20pm | Quarter-Finals
6:20pm | Two-Point Shootout
7:00pm – 7:40pm | Semi-Finals
7:40pm – Dunk Contest
8:20pm | Final
