3×3 basketball rebounds from international disappointment

New Zealand were the first 3×3 basketball world champions more than a decade ago but missing a pinnacle event last year was a blow the successful Basketball New Zealand programme needs to bounce back from.

Before 3×3 was in the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games and a year before a senior FIBA 3×3 World Cup was established, four Auckland boys beat Bulgaria by one point to secure the inaugural 3×3 Youth Basketball World Championship in 2011.

Tall Black Isaac Fotu, a Rangitoto College student at the time, scored the winning basket with 8 seconds left on the clock.

It was the first time New Zealand had won a world basketball event. In 2015 New Zealand won the youth title again.

Globally 3×3 is now more competitive – and professional – than it once was but Basketball New Zealand’s head of high performance Leonard King still believes New Zealand will win a senior three-a-side medal before they do in the five-a-side competition.

“3×3 allows in my mind New Zealand an even footprint to compete,” King says.

“In the five-a-side we’ve got a good six or seven players that are really world class but once you get past the sixth and the seventh player there is a bit of a drop off, in 3×3 you’ve got four world class players there is no drop off in talent so I definitely could see us medalling at an Olympics.”

Despite 3×3 reaching new heights King still needs to twist a few arms to get players to commit to a format which pays players differently and offers different ways to represent their country.

“You’re going against years and years of tradition of the five-a-side which is all anyone ever knew, the pathway for five-a-side and how to earn a living is entrenched … trying to educate the athletes as well as our coaches on 3×3 hasn’t been easy but the great thing is that’ve had a lot of success so that success draws players to it.”

After briefly stepping off the international circuit, New Zealand has a busy upcoming few months on the 3×3 global stage.

New Zealand withdrew from qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics as Covid-19 hit Basketball New Zealand’s finances.

Kings says the decision not to push for a place in Tokyo “had a huge impact” on the 3×3 national programme.

“These guys had been working a large part of the last 10 years of their life to get to the Olympic Games, so making a decision like that was not an easy decision and not something that we’ve been proud of but it was the best thing that we could do for basketball in New Zealand given the situation of Covid.”

The fallout, King says, effected the domestic 3×3 programme as well as robbing four players of meaningful international experience.

After missing out on the opportunity to take part in the sport’s Olympic debut, New Zealand did qualify for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – again the first time 3×3 will be at the Games.

But before Birmingham comes Belgium. With a detour to Singapore in between.

New Zealand has qualified men’s and women’s teams for the seventh edition of the senior 3×3 World Cup in June in Antwerp.

It is the fifth time the men’s team will compete at the world cup and the third time for the women.

Both teams were undefeated at the Asian Qualifier in Qatar in March.

King says the New Zealand sides sent to the qualifiers were developing, younger teams – but they showed their worth.

“We’re always looking to build depth and create a bigger pool of players to chose from so we intentionally wanted to make sure we offered an opportunity for some of our rising players.”

The men won the qualifying final over Iran thanks to the 2015 3×3 U18 World Cup MVP, Tai Wynyard, who scored the game-winner.

Another 2015 world champion, Nikau McCullough, led all scorers in the men’s category at the qualifiers with 37 points. He had 11 in the final.

The women comfortably beat Uzbekistan in the final to book their spot at the world cup.

Tall Fern Ella Fotu wants to pursue more 3×3 opportunities.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Ella Fotu, the younger sister of 2011 world champion Isaac, was part of the side that were victorious in Doha.

She plays five-a-side for the Tall Ferns, will compete in the new national women’s basketball league for a South Island side and is committed to doing her “absolute best” to be a part of the full calendar for the New Zealand 3×3 team.

After the world cup in late June, there is the Asia Cup in early July in Singapore followed by the Commonwealth Games in late July and August. King expects to take the same squad for the three events.

3×3 is bumping the traditional format off the schedule at the Commonwealth Games and Fotu is a fan.

With an eye to the opportunities in 2022, Fotu has been working on her three-on-three game.

The world cup qualifiers were the first senior international 3×3 tournament the 25-year-old had been to but she is all in.

The fast-paced game is appeals to her. So much so that she wants to be seen as a go-to player for 3×3 and says she is prepared to move away from the five-a-side game.

“It’s pretty much go all out for 10 minutes in comparison to a 40 minute game…I enjoy it a bit better, less thinking and just go for it.”

A firefighter in her day job, Fotu is thankful for shift work and special leave to play for New Zealand so that she can pursue a career as well as her sporting dreams.

“There is a lot of opportunity there for 3×3, especially for the women’s game. Who we meet for qualifiers is a bit different to who we meet five-on-five. We go against some pretty tough teams for five-on-five, but three-on-three I feel like is anyone’s game it doesn’t matter how much money a country has or how good they are in the past.”