With the Schick 3×3 Cup tipping off next week, let’s take a pool-by-pool look at how each team stacks up in this exciting competition.
How it works: The Schick 3×3 Cup features 32 teams – 16 in the men’s division and 16 in the women’s – facing off over four days to determine the overall men’s and women’s winners. Teams are divided into two pools (Pool A and Pool B) in each division, with squads playing each other once within their pool over the first three days and seven games in total.
At the end of pool play, the top-ranked team in each pool faces the bottom-ranked team in the opposed pool in a knockout-style playoff round, culminating in a finals game between the last two teams remaining.
Let’s preview an intriguing Women’s Pool A:
Auckland Dream: The defending Schick Cup champions the Auckland Dream will roll out a competitive squad including 3×3 Tall Ferns Esra McGoldrick and Sharne Robati, who both helped New Zealand qualify for the 3×3 FIBA World Cup earlier this year. They’ll be joined by Darci Finnigan and Summer-Jean Motufoua – Finnigan was a member of the Dream’s victorious squad back in 2020. McGoldrick and Robati both played key roles for the Whai in the inaugural Tauihi season this year and both will be key players to watch throughout the week.
Harbour Breeze: The Breeze will deploy a younger team this time around with all four players still in high school. New Zealand U18 representative Mackenzie Chatfield will look to lead the charge for the Breeze with her high-level experience and a stint with the Northern Kāhu in Tauihi. The Breeze possess the youngest player at the Schick 3×3 Cup this year in Bailey Flavell – a 15-year-old star from Takapuna Grammar School in Auckland. Bailey is the daughter of Tall Blacks legend Judd Flavell and was recently named to the New Zealand U15 Girls team that will head to the FIBA Oceania Championship in Guam next month.
Otago Gold Rush: The Otago Gold Rush have brought in Makayla Daysh from the Whai along with Olivia O’Neill and Hannah Beede of the Southern Hoiho, joining former Canterbury Wildcat Nicole Gleason to make up a strong squad of four. They not only have solid experience in their team, but they have a combination of players that could prove difficult to match up with. The inside-out game that the Gold Rush can run with Beede and Daysh operating under the rim, and Gleason and O’Neill running the perimeter is going to be something that will win them a handful of games. They’ll be one of the more competitive teams in the pool.
Whai: American Dominique McBryde has stayed on in Aotearoa and will play for the Whai in what will be her first taste of 3×3 basketball. She’s got the skillset to make some waves and will be joined by her Tauihi teammates Hineaupounamu Nuku and Bulou Tuisue. Rangikahiwa Cooney is also a member of the squad – known as Honey, she was selected as a reserve for the U17 New Zealand team that played at the FIBA Asian Championships in June.
Taranaki Thunder: The Taranaki Thunder roster includes Terai Elia of the Mainland Pouākai and Eva Langton of the 2022 Tauihi Champions the Tokomanawa Queens. Langton didn’t see a whole lot of the court in her first professional season out of college, but her game could translate quite well to the 3×3 setting with her solid outside shooting and work rate. Teghan Ngatai recently went to the 3×3 U18 Women’s World Cup with the 3×3 Junior Tall Ferns and is a young prospect to keep an eye on. Ngatai’s experience playing 3×3 at a high level will be valuable. The 16-year-old Arna Bright will suit up for the Thunder and will be looking to put her name on the map.
Tavake Pasifika: Pasifika could be considered the dark horse in the pool, as they’ve got players with a bunch of 3×3 experience that will set them up nicely for success. Coola Baudry has played in the 3×3 Quest Tour and 3×3.exe events in 2022, and Riana Rangi-Brown, Idaho Purcell and Elianna Tuaiti all have played at numerous 3×3 events in the past. Experience playing 3×3 basketball is going to be a crucial aspect throughout the Schick 3×3 Cup and Pasifika will be able to use that to their advantage.
Waikato Wizards: The Wizards have limited 3×3 experience on their squad but they do possess a more experienced team overall that most in the competition. Three of their players – Alyssa Hirawani, Hailey Moala and Stirling Walker-Pitman – are over the age of 24, whilst the 18-year-old Mayako Taingahue’s will be coming in fresh off competing at the 3×3 FIBA U18 World Cup in August. This is another team that could surprise people and are worth keeping a close eye on.
West Coast Rapids: Millie Knight will be looking to use the experience gained playing for the Mainland Pouākai in Tauihi to help the Rapids make some noise in Invercargill. Knight played in the Seven Stars invitational last year, as well as her teammates Kate Herman and Ashlyn Rean. The 17-year-old Ella Mahuika will join them after making waves at the Greymouth Celebrity game featuring Tall Blacks legends Dillon Boucher and Phill Jones earlier this year. It’s a young team for the Rapids, but they’ll be motivated and will play with passion.
