SEATTLE — College basketball phenom Hailey Van Lith of Cashmere, Wash. is making her Olympic debut with 3x3 basketball but don’t expect her performance to look just like it would on a full-size court.
“It's just a really exciting, fast-paced game that I love because it's so physical and gritty,” said Van Lith, who fell in love with 3x3 basketball as a kid playing at Spokane Hoopfest. “And you get to do a lot of flashy things and show off your skills."
3x3 basketball is back at the Paris Olympics after making its debut in Tokyo. It’s a condensed version of traditional full-court basketball. Each team has three players instead of five, and it’s played on a half-size court. The winning team is the first to get 21 points or the team with the highest score at the end of 10 minutes.
3x3 basketball originated as street basketball and is considered to be the top urban sport in the world.
One of the biggest challenges that 3x3 basketball brings is that you can’t have a bad first half, Van Lith said. If a team plays poorly in the first five minutes, it can be hard to make a comeback.
“It makes things really interesting because you'll see inferior teams beat the better teams a lot,” the Texas Christian University guard said.
Since it’s so fast-paced and there is rarely stoppage, Van Lith said competitors need to be in incredible shape. The mental game is also different.
“You're self-coached,” Van Lith said. “Which is actually very challenging in the moment because you're so tired and exhausted, and you have to make all decisions for yourself. You don't have the wiser person telling you what to do."
Scoring is also different in 3x3 basketball, giving a bigger edge to outside shots. Baskets made from behind the arc are worth two points, and field goals from inside the arc are worth one. Free throws, which are awarded from infractions by opposing players, are also worth one.
“It's a very heady game that if you're trying to beat people with just skill alone, it's not going to work,” Van Lith said. “So you need that combination of skill set and IQ."
Men's and women's 3x3 basketball kicked off July 30. The medal games take place on Aug. 5.
