Katie Lou Samuelson Gray is thrilled to be back on the USA Basketball 3×3 team, driven by her ambition to represent the United States at the upcoming Paris Olympics this summer. She stands as the sole returning player from the quartet that clinched gold at the Tokyo Games three years ago, marking the inaugural appearance of 3×3 basketball on the Olympic stage.
Gray expressed her excitement, stating, “To be the first team to do it and it being the first time in the Olympics, it was amazing.”
During the recent training camp, eight players were selected to participate in a 3×3 tournament in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Gray finds herself on a team alongside Dearica Hamby, Cameron Brink, and Linnae Harper. Notably, Brink and Harper assisted the U.S. in securing victory at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup, while Hamby made her 3×3 debut with a gold medal triumph at the Women’s AmeriCup the same year.
The tournament also features another U.S. team comprising Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard, Lexie Hull, and Van Lith. Burdick and Van Lith were also part of the World Cup team last year, while Howard boasts the least 3×3 experience, having only played in USA Basketball nationals in 2019. Despite her limited exposure to 3×3, Howard is also a member of the Olympic 5-on-5 national team pool.
Howard commented on the nuances of 3×3 basketball, saying, “I think 3×3 is more intimate and it really tests your patience a little bit because you have to think about what you’re doing in order to get good looks. You don’t have a lot of people to help you get open, so you have to create for yourself a lot.”
Hull commenced her 3×3 career in 2016, earning medals in the sport in 2022 and 2023. Ultimately, the Americans will select a four-player roster for Paris, with two players required to be among the top 10 in points accumulated for the U.S. The remaining two team members must either be in the top 10 or have participated in at least one official FIBA 3×3 competition within a specified time frame.
National team coach Jennifer Rizzotti acknowledged the difficulty in selecting the Paris team due to the contributions of several dedicated players. She said, “What makes it hard is there are also some women who have committed to this game for four years. They’ve earned the points for the U.S. and earned the points for themselves. They’ve done all the groundwork and laid the foundation for us to be able to play in the Olympics, and not all of them will get to go. We tried to find a way to make them know that they are part of the process, and you try to keep them here as long as you can.”
In the 3×3 game, played on a half court with a 12-second shot clock, the first team to score 21 points or lead at the end of a 10-minute period emerges victorious. Baskets made within the arc are worth one point, while shots from beyond the arc are worth two points.
Rizzotti noted the progress made by the team since their 3×3 camp last May, which introduced college players to the game for the first time. She expressed her satisfaction with their development, saying, “It’s impressive to see in a short amount of time and limited repetitions of playing that they’ve picked things up.”
The USA Basketball team will continue to refine their skills and strategies in preparation for the Olympic Games in Paris, where they aim to showcase their strength and resilience on the global stage.
