With the Schick 3×3 Cup tipping off in two days, 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 exciting Women’s Pool B:
Mainland Pouākai: This should be the team to beat in a very competitive pool. The Pouākai boast a quartet of Tauihi players in their line-up, including one of NZ’s most accomplished 3×3 players in Ella Fotu – who starred in both the 3×3 World Cup and Commonwealth Games with the 3×3 Tall Ferns this year. A pair of Tall Ferns anchor this squad; Pouakai’s Tessa Boagni providing valuable size and toughness alongside veteran Jacinta Beckley who earned a title with the Queens this year. And Whai rookie Rosalia Samia brings additional 3×3 experience to the table, having won gold for Lincoln University at the 2022 3×3 Tertiary Champs.
Nelson Sparks: The Sparks will be led by 17-year-old Maia Jones, daughter of Tall Blacks legend Phill Jones and a sharpshooter in her own right – having led NZ in scoring at the FIBA U16 Asian Champs in June. Jones is joined by two Pouākai teammates in Tessa Morrison and Tsubasa Nisbet; Morrison looking for redemption after a serious injury at the 2020 Schick 3×3 Cup, while Nisbet saw 3×3 action at the Seven Stars Invitational last year. And Riva Walker-Pitman will be one to watch; the 20-year-old completes a remarkable return to basketball after being diagnosed with GBS back in 2020.
Northern Kāhu: The Kāhu will field an imposing veteran duo in Chevannah Paalvast – with 60 Tall Ferns caps to her name – and Casyn Buchman, who helped the Auckland Dream to the Schick 3×3 Cup title in 2020. Joining them is Azure Anderson, who dominated the Tertiary National Champs last month to win the women’s title (scoring 28 points in the final) and Yume Negishi, a valuable player for the Auckland Dream back in 2020. This team could make waves in the competition this week.
Northland Phoenix: Northland has put together a young squad with plenty of international experience for this Schick 3×3 Cup. Teuila Fa’alogo appeared for the Junior 3×3 Tall Ferns at the 3×3 U18 World Cup in August, as well as being part of the Seven Stars Invitational in 2021. Meanwhile, 6’3” shot-blocker Vitolia Tuilave was a key part of the Junior Tall Ferns at the recent FIBA U18 Women’s Asian Championship while also being part of the Northern Kāhu setup in Tauihi. Appearing alongside this duo is fellow Junior Tall Fern Allyah Leusogi-Ape; and rounding out the squad is Elliot Heremaia, who appeared in last year’s Seven Stars Invitational.
Southern Hoiho: The Hoiho will be centered around Samara Gallaher, who captained the team in the Tauihi league this past season and has 14 Tall Ferns appearances to her name. Both Tyler Mitchell and Caitlin O’Connell appeared for Otago in the 3×3 National Tertiary Champs in March, guiding them to a 2nd place finish, while Caitlin made the D-League Tournament team in August. And Caitlin’s older sister Jennifer O’Connell, although new to high-level 3×3 basketball, brings imposing size (6’4”) and several years netball experience with the Southern Steel to the squad.
Southland Storm: 33-year-old Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit might be the biggest name on this squad for southern sports fans, having made over 100 appearances with the Southern Steel netball team. Joining her are young athletes Lucy Brown and Maddison Tinnock, who both appeared with the Southland Storm at the D-League Nationals in August; Tinnock also earning Tournament honours at the AON U19 Nationals as the leading scorer for Otago. Rounding up the squad is Laura Jackson, who appeared alongside Tinnick for Otago at the AON U19 Nationals.
Tokomanawa Queens: Fresh off winning a championship in the inaugural season of Tauihi, the Queens come into the Schick 3×3 Cup looking for another trophy for their cabinet. They’ll be led by Josie Trousdell – who also boasts 36 Tall Ferns caps to her name – and Lakota Beatty, who starred at Oral Roberts University in the US and is a deadly shooter from beyond the arc. Tylah Hooper brings her three years of Australian NBL-1 league experience (Melbourne Tigers) as well as appearing for the Mainland Pouākai in Tauihi, while Aria Cowley appeared in both the Junior Tall Ferns and for Waikato in the Tertiary National Champs this year. This team looks dangerous.
Wellington: The second Wellington-based team in the Schick 3×3 Cup, Wellington will rely on the combo of Holly Morgan and Maia Watling to make it to the top of Pool B. Morgan is a 17-year-old player with the Tokomanawa Queens who also appeared for NZ at the FIBA U16 Asian Championships earlier this year, while Watling is a 6’3” athlete who played for Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia. Joining them is Malama Leaupepe – who averaged a staggering 33 points and 16 rebounds per game for Samoa at the Pacific Games tournament in 2019 – and Tawhirikura Doyle who played for Wellington at the AON U19 Nationals this year. Doyle and Morgan also teamed up in 2021 to win the National Secondary Schools 3×3 championship.
