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
