3×3 basketball is taking the global sporting community by storm, and Saint Lucia stands ready to take advantage of this wave. This shortened version of the game is widely considered the largest urban team sport in the world and is currently the fastest-growing discipline within the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) ecosystem. The Caribbean is ripe for development.
3×3 features three players from each team, with one substitute on the bench, battling it out on the court. The game is much faster than traditional basketball. In 3×3, the 12-second shot clock starts when the defensive team secures the ball. They must clear the ball behind the arc and attack immediately. There is no time to walk or call plays; players must rely on instinct and chemistry.
There are no inbound passes from the baseline after a made basket or a dead ball in the half-court, except for fouls. After a score, the game does not stop. The conceding team must grab the ball from the net, dribble or pass it outside the arc to clear the ball, and immediately become the offence. The game restarts with a “check-ball” at the top of the key, where the defender passes to the attacker, and the ball becomes live immediately.
At a recent ceremony, Glen Guiste, president of the Saint Lucia Basketball Federation, revealed that FIBA is encouraging smaller territories like Saint Lucia to take advantage of this trend, as it is an opportunity for them to “battle with the big boys”.
In the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands, Guyana (men) and Jamaica have been confirmed for 3×3 basketball at the Commonwealth Games from July 24-29 in Glasgow. According to Guiste, this major step forward for the region in the fast-growing format is merely the beginning.
“Well, you know what T20 did to cricket? That’s what 3×3 is to basketball – the short, exciting version,” he said. “FIBA encourages small federations like us to go that route because it’s easier for us to dance with the big boys, if you want to call it that. They always use the example of us beating Argentina a few years ago as one of the examples of where a smaller territory could compete on the world stage. And they think that 3×3 gives us a better chance at even reaching the Olympics as opposed to the longer version of the game.”
There are, however, some drawbacks to the push for 3×3 basketball, according to Guiste.
“The dynamics of 3×3 don’t give you much time to develop the game,” he said. “So we have to bear in mind the balance of it… We have to weigh development versus the quick version.”
However, Guiste emphasised that 3×3 basketball is the future of the sport.
“We cannot run away from 3×3. As a matter of fact, the last set of national teams … travelled for 3×3. Last year, we had one team in Mexico and two teams in the Bahamas [playing] 3×3. So, we cannot run away from it. FIBA is pushing it… pushing it down our throat basically. But we enjoy it because it gives us a chance to dance with the big boys at a higher level.”
