3X3 National Teams Head To Singapore for FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup

Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) have today named its men’s and women’s 3×3 national basketball teams, who will both compete in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup in Singapore from 6-10 July.

The women’s team, known as the 3×3 Tall Ferns and coached by Justine Reed, includes Tayla Dalton, Ella Fotu, Mary Goulding and Jillian Harmon.

The men’s team, known as the 3×3 Tall Blacks and coached by Piet van Hasselt, will be Jayden Bezzant, Zach Easthope, Dominique Kelman-Poto and Nikau McCullough.

The FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup returns for its fifth edition this year and will see 53 teams from 30 countries battling it out to win the trophy. Set to take place from July 6-10 at the event plaza of Marina Bay Sands, this year’s event has reached a new high in participation numbers; the previous record set in 2019 with 40 teams from 23 countries.

New Zealand has tasted success at the 3×3 Asia Cup in past years, with the 3×3 Tall Ferns winning gold at the 2018 FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup in China. The 3×3 Tall Blacks earned silver at the 2017 event in Mongolia, while also finishing fourth in 2018.

In 2022, a total of 30 men’s teams and 23 women’s teams have registered for the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup. The main draw will start from 8 July with the exact same number of teams (12) from each gender; meaning that a series of qualifying games played in order to determine who these 24 teams will be.

In the women’s category, just seven teams have automatically qualified to the main draw: hosts Singapore, reigning champions Australia and the five best-ranked teams in the FIBA 3×3 Federation Rankings: Mongolia, China, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Sri Lanka.

The other 16 women’s teams – including New Zealand – will need to make their way from the qualifying draw, which will include five pools with only the winner of each pool advancing. That means the 3×3 Tall Ferns (ranked #8) will need to win their games against India (#10) and Palestinian Territory (20) in order to progress to the main draw.

In the men’s category, just 3 teams have a spot guaranteed in the main draw: hosts Singapore, reigning champions Australia and the current best-ranked team in the FIBA 3×3 Federation Rankings in Mongolia.

The rest of the hopefuls – 27 men’s teams, including New Zealand – will have to go through the qualifying draw, consisting of nine pools of three squads. So the 3×3 Tall Blacks (ranked #5) must win their games against Saudi Arabia (#17) and Syria (#24) if they want to compete in the main draw.

The FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup tips off from 6 July in Singapore. Find out more about this event at www.fiba.basketball/3x3asiacup/2022

All games will be broadcast live (and free) via nz.basketball/tv

 

3×3 Tall Ferns Squad (2022 FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup)

  • Tayla Dalton (St Mary’s College, NCAA)
  • Ella Fotu (Mainland Pouakai, Tauihi)
  • Mary Goulding (Mainland Pouakai, Tauihi)
  • Jillian Harmon (Basket Landes, LFB France)

Women’s Pool D – Qualifying Draw

  • 07 Jul 2022, 6.30pm NZT – 3×3 Tall Ferns vs Palestinian Territory
  • 07 Jul 2022, 11.15pm NZT – 3×3 Tall Ferns vs India

 

3×3 Tall Blacks Squad (2022 FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup)

  • Jayden Bezzant (Franklin Bulls, Sal’s NBL)
  • Zach Easthope (Auckland)
  • Dominique Kelman-Poto (Southland Sharks, Sal’s NBL)
  • Nikau McCullough (Otago Nuggets, Sal’s NBL)

Men’s Pool D – Qualifying Draw

  • 06 Jul, 3.15pm NZT – 3×3 Tall Blacks vs Syria
  • 07 Jul, 12.45am NZT – 3×3 Tall Blacks vs Saudi Arabia