” With Paris 2024, we will be able to show 3×3 at home in France, it will be a turning point I think “, predicted in our columns, a year ago, Paul Djoko, one of the best French players on the circuit. The time has come for the discipline to shine on the emblematic Place de la Concorde, in the heart of the French capital. This will be the second Olympic event in the history of 3×3 basketball.
How does the tournament work?
The way the 3×3 tournament works is not really comparable to the 5×5. Here, for both men and women, eight teams are competing and will compete for a week, from Tuesday, July 30 to Monday, August 5.
The eight teams will compete in a single group over the first three and a half days. On the fourth day, the teams finishing between 3rd and 6th place will meet in a play-in.
The top two teams advance directly to the semi-finals, while the teams ranked 7th and 8th are eliminated. The remaining six teams compete in the play-in round, with the semi-finals and medal matches taking place on the final day of competition, August 5.
For the record, the coach of the French men's team, Karim Souchu, explained to us that the 3×3 executives were looking for players “ physical, enduring and skillful “. Because the 3×3 ” is a dynamic format, with possessions in 12 seconds, a match 10 minutes or 21 points. A format that pleases because it is short but intense, in terms of rhythm and cardio, it has nothing to do with 5×5. »
Men
Teams in the running : Serbia, United States, Lithuania, China, Netherlands, France, Latvia and Poland
French team
Unlike their female counterparts, the boys had to go through an Olympic qualifying tournament in Hungary. The French secured their Olympic ticket – the first of its kind since they had not participated in the Tokyo tournament – by narrowly beating Mongolia, on a decisive shot from Timothé Vergiat, at the end of a pretty crazy run.
In order to the team “ as complementary as possible »coach Karim Souchu has logically called up the best French player in the FIBA individual rankingFranck Seguela (21st), as well as the second, Jules Rambaut (45th). He also called upon Lucas Dussoulier (144th) and Timothé Vergiat (158th), elected MVP of the TQO mentioned above.
Already summoned to the last European Championship, the last two mentioned arrive launched after having won in mid-July a stage of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour with Versaillesfacing 3X3 Paris where the two other members of the French team were playing.
Also noteworthy are the appointments of two replacements, Raphaël Wilson and Léopold Cavalière, and two reserves, Paul Djoko and Lahaou Konaté. Antoine Eito was sidelined before the TQO.
After their bronze medal obtained in 2022 at the World Cup, or their podiums achieved on the European scene, will the Blues, in 10th position in the team ranking and 4th at the Federation level, benefit from their international momentum to join the race for the podium?
Agenda of the Blues
July 30 at 10:05 p.m.: France – Poland
July 31 at 10:05 p.m.: France – Lithuania
August 1 at 2:05 p.m.: France – Netherlands then at 10:35 p.m.: France – Serbia
August 2 at 2:05 p.m.: France – Latvia then at 6:35 p.m.: France – United States
August 4 at 5:30 p.m.: France – China
Maximum strength for our two 3×3 Olympic selections 🇫🇷🙌🇫🇷🙌
The coaches of the French 3×3 women's and men's teams, Yann Julien and Karim Souchu, have revealed their selections for the Paris 2024 Games ✨#Paris2024 #3×3 pic.twitter.com/dHVELj40I5
— 3×3 FFBB (@3x3ffbb) July 8, 2024
Favorites
As in 5×5 basketball, it is hard not to mention the United States, led by the biggest star expected at this tournament, former NBA player Jimmer Fredette. At 35, he will team up with Canyon Barry (son of Rick Barry), Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis. In 2023, this quartet has already brought home a silver medal from the 3×3 World Cup.
The American team lost that year to Serbia, the two-time World Cup title holder and the logical favorite for the competition.
A name to remember among them: Strahinja Stojacic, MVP of the last World Cup, and best player in the world in the individual ranking, just ahead of Jimmer Fredette.
Results of the latest competitions
2020 Olympic Games: 1 – Latvia / 2 – Russian Olympic Committee / 3 – Serbia (France : unqualified)
2022 World Cup: 1 – Serbia / 2 – Lithuania / 3 – France
2023 World Cup: 1 – Serbia / 2 – United States / 3 – Latvia (France : 8th)
Women
Teams in the running : China, United States, France, Germany, Canada, Spain, Azerbaijan and Australia
French team
“ This might seem like an unsurprising team-up. “, agrees the coach of the French women's teamYann Julien. Because he simply called up the four players who had accumulated the most points in the FIBA individual ranking: Laëtitia Guapo (6th), Myriam Djekoundade (9th), Marie-Eve Paget (12th) and Hortense Limouzin (39th).
Two players who will discover the Games and two others who have experienced Tokyo, where the French had finished just off the podium. Since then, they have played eye to eye with the best nations in the discipline, winning the world title in 2022, before following up with silver the following year.
Among the girls, France is considered the 3rd stronghold in the world. The Blues recently sent a message to the competition by taking, in mid-June, Women's Series circuit controls.
Agenda of the Blues
July 30 at 9:30 p.m.: France – China
July 31 at 9:00 p.m.: France – Spain
August 1 at 12:30 p.m.: France – Azerbaijan then at 10:00 p.m.: France – Canada
August 2 at 12:00 p.m.: France – United States then at 9:30 p.m.: France – Germany
August 3 at 6:35 p.m.: France – Australia
The favorites
The gold medalists and reigning world champions will try to imitate their counterparts, the arch favorites, of the 5×5, relying in particular on Hailey Van Lith, the first university player to represent Team USA in this format.
Regularly present on the podiums, the Chinese are expected, as are the Canadians who dominate the individual ranking: three Canadians, including the twins Michelle and Katherine Plouffe, in the first three places!
Results of the latest competitions
2020 Olympics: 1 – United States / 2 – Russian Olympic Committee / 3 – China (France : 4th)
2022 World Cup: 1 – France / 2 – Canada / 3 – China
2023 World Cup: 1 – United States / 2 – France / 3 – Australia
Photo: FFBB.com
