The 3×3.EXE Premier League is back in 2020!
Last year’s competition drew acclaim from New Zealand’s basketball community and a number of developments have been made for next season to deliver an even greater product.
Basketball New Zealand 3×3 Manager David Huxford says the changes made for next year were done to build on the strong foundation set in 2019.
“The 3×3.EXE Premier League was a great inclusion to New Zealand’s basketball calendar and all going well it will take a step forward in 2020.
“In 2019 we had five teams attend the final in Japan. Any of those players will tell you what a great experience it was to be hosted by the 3×3.EXE Premier league in Tokyo.
“All of the developments being made for the 2020 year, including interconference rounds and player bonding, are to help develop the professionalism of the game and this event.”
Teams playing in 2020 are now required to sign a basic contract and put down a bond. This will help ensure a player/team fulfils all the requirements of the contract, maintains discipline on the court and fronts each round with four eligible players.
Players will also need to register a profile of themselves online, which can be done here. Please note, registration MUST be done by 31 December.
Universities entering the competition will now need to choose a name that does not include the name of their institution. This is done to avoid conflict with a University’s branding rules, as the tag ‘.EXE’ is added to each name.
It is also no longer required of teams to be aligned to clubs to enter. Previously, teams playing in the South Island Conference came from an existing club, but now players can choose to form teams made up of the best individuals they can find.
Teams for both the North and South Island Conferences, which are still based in Auckland and Christchurch, are to be submitted by 20 December, with a total of 12 teams (six each conference) being chosen for the 2020 season. In the case more than six teams enter for either conference, a qualification round will be held.
Different coloured uniforms will be supplied to all teams, as well as 3×3 balls and paid travel for the interconference rounds.
The interconference rounds previously mentioned are where there will be a crossover of North and South Island teams. There is eight rounds total in this event. Five of those rounds will see each team play one another twice within their conference and the other three outside it.
The first two interconference rounds will be bundled together and played over one weekend. The six teams from one conference will all travel to the other conference and play two. The third time around will see three teams from each conference travel to the other conference and play one round each.
Huxford anticipates there to be greater interest for the upcoming season, driven by the level of play displayed in 2019 and the awareness of the prizes up for grabs.
“I believe there will be a lot more excitement about this event in 2020 now that players have experienced both the NZ conferences and the Japan final.
“Just like last year, the two top teams from each conference receive a trip to Japan to play in the 3×3.EXE Premier finals. $20,000 USD is awarded to the winner of the finals.”
Last year, Team Swish.EXE and Canterbury University.EXE finished atop their respective conferences, with the University of Auckland.EXE taking second in the North and Lincoln University.EXE claiming silver in the South.
TEAM AND PLAYER REGISTRATION
Players wishing to partake at any stage of the 2020 3×3.EXE Premier League are required to have filled out a profile of themselves. This can be done so here.
Once this has been completed, players can then go about submitting teams for the upcoming season. Please remember, a minimum of six players are required when submitting a team, with contracts needing to signed and a bond to be paid once approved.
All submissions must be made to David Huxford – david@nz.basketball.
