Olympics will give 3x3 hoops a boost

think very smart, is they’re not interested in getting LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to represent the U.S. in the 2020 Olympics,” Sir said Friday, after announcing that Edmonton will host a World Tour Challenger 3x3 tourney in September. “They won’t go that route. They’re going to have a qualifying process to go to the Olympics. They want to stay away from professionalizing it with the same players.”

But let it be said the quality of player representing each of the eight countries that qualify for the men’s and women’s Olympic tournaments in Tokyo will be very professional indeed. One of those players could be Steve Sir, Paul’s son. Steve is a member of Team Saskatoon, which will also proudly fly the flag as Team Canada at the World Cup in Manila in June. It’s a 40-team event and the first of what will be a series of qualifiers on the way to the Olympics.

Steve Sir played Division 1 ball in the U.S., still owns the NCAA three-point shooting accuracy record, and carved out a fine professional career in Europe. He’s essentially the prototypical 3x3 player; which is to say a great long ball shooter with elite dribbling and passing skills. The half court game concentrates the action in a confined space, jacks up the pace and forces each player to be able to play and defend every position.

“It’s not what we grew up playing with Hoop it Up,” he said. “I think everybody loved Hoop it Up, but it was much more of a slowed down, slug it out style of three-onthree.

“With this, the ball is live right when it goes through the net. You have to clear it behind the threepoint line and you’re playing again. What most people underestimate when they first come into it, is how tired you are.

“When you first play it, it’s a bit of an adjustment. So I hope, especially leading into this first Olympics, that if you’re invested in the game, if you have some skin in it, it’s going to reap rewards, and that would show in the quality of play.”

Team Saskatoon, which includes Jermaine Bucknor and Jordan Baker of Edmonton, as well as Saskatchewanians Michael Linklater, Michael Lieffers and Nolan Brudehl, are fresh off a Challenger series win in South Korea earlier this month.

The 20-tournament Challenger circuit offers a total of $500,000 US in prize money, the more senior loop, World Tour Masters, pays out $1 million US.

So it won’t be long, Steve Sir believes, before 3x3 becomes a viable option for serious basketball players emerging from college.

“That’s the way it’s evolving. I think I will unfortunately be gone by the time that happens.”

He’s 35 now, and it’s going to take some time for the level of attention to grow, and with it the prospects for corporate sponsorship that could sustain a pro team.

“But in seeing what FIBA wants this to be, I think it’s just a matter of time until you do have that option, am I going to play five-onfive or 3x3?” said Steve Sir. “I hope it does, because for serious basketball players, that’s a great option to have.”