SALVADOR – The qualification phase of the 2nd WUC 3×3 Basketball continued on Friday 19 September in Salvador. Brazil 1 and Argentina took the lead in the men’s pools and Brazil 1 and China 1 are ahead in the women’s pools. Because of the climate conditions, 9 games of the 23 had to be re-scheduled on Saturday morning. This will be the last chance for the teams to conquer a spot in the quarter finals that will take place in the afternoon. Only 4 teams from each pool advance to the next phase.
After the quarter finals, also the individual competition starts: Dunk tournament for the men, a Shootout tournament for the women and a Free Throw Pursuit for both genders.
Japan is one of the important delegations taking part in the competition in Salvador. The country will host the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, in 2020 and the 3×3 Basketball is being discussed to become an Olympic compulsory sport. Japan has a strong tradition with this new sport. Tatsuro Taniguchi from the Japanese university men’s team at this WUC is the #48 on the International Ranking of the 3×3 World Tour. He studies economics and started his carrier in basketball with the traditional 5×5, but since 2011 began to compete in the 3×3. This is his first time at the WUC and in Brazil. “3×3 Basketball is getting really popular in Japan. We have a lot of tournaments all year long. I hope this experience helps the team to reach the podium. The sport is doing so good in our country that selection procedures are hard, as only 4 players can form a team”, Taniguchi explained. Until this Saturday morning Japan has no guarantee to enter the quarter finals. The team battles with China 1 and Brazil 2 for a qualification berth.
The WUC 3×3 Basketball 2014 can be watched on the official livestreaming at cbdu.org.br or wc.cbdu.org.br. More information, pictures, videos, can be found on the social media platforms: facebook – WUC 3×3 Basket 2014 or CBDUBrasil and results updated game by game on twitter: @WUC 3×3 Basket 2014 and @CBDU.
RESULTS DAY 2
(Source: CBDU)