BOUNCE IN FOR GREAT NEW 3X3 FORMA T

TOWNSVILLE basketball fans will get to experience the excitement of the sport’s newest format next weekend with the Champions League Basketball 3x3 competition.

Townsville Bowls Club will be turned into a temporary basketball court as players show their skills in basketball’s version of Twenty20 cricket, with faster games designed to generate more excitement.

Each team in 3x3 basketball consists of three players and one substitute and games are played on a half- court with one basket. The game is a single period of 10 minutes, with sudden death at 21 points, and shots are worth one point or two points from beyond the arc.

Townsville’s Tim Keating is one of the top- ranked 3x3 players in Australia.

“It’s much faster and much more physical. The rules are a little bit more lax so there’s lots of physicality. It’s good fun,” Keating said.

Registrations are still open for the Townsville event, with the Corporate Cup event on the Friday night, followed by a junior tournament on Saturday, and the open and elite men on Sunday.

There will also be a free shoot around on Monday for new players and former Townsville Crocs sharpshooter Peter Crawford encouraged people to see what 3x3 is all about.

The 3x3 format will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020 and Crawford said it was a great time to get involved.