As even is about to begin, FISU’s broadcast commentator Ben Ibrahim from Malaysia met up with the players to gauge their confidence levels and collect their expectations…
This will be Ben Ibrahim’s s sixth consecutive FISU University World Cup 3×3 basketball on commentary duty. Before each tournament begins, Ben always does his homework on the competing teams. This time, he shares what he found out the day before the first whistle will blow.
Men’s tournament
The talk of the town at the Brasilia 2025 FISU University World Cup 3×3 Basketball is whether anyone can stop Vytautas Magnus University from Lithuania. The two-time defending champions are in red-hot form chasing a historic three-peat at this year’s World Cup. The core of their roster consists of experienced 3×3 players with both club and international experience.
Australia’s Melbourne University Alek Bandilovski (number 7) and Kai Garnaut (number 8) both shared their thoughts ahead of the tournament. They both said, “We respect what Vytautas Magnus University has achieved in the past, but that’s history. We want to win, and we’ll do whatever it takes.”
The majority of the Melbourne University players compete in Australia’s NBL1, the country’s semi-professional league that serves as a pathway to the elite National Basketball League (NBL).
Andre Augusto, from Paulista University (Brazil) and a 2022 FISU World Cup winner, expressed his confidence in his team’s potential. Augusto said, “I’ve won this competition before, and I want to win it again. We believe in our abilities, and we’ll rely on our team chemistry to help us grow throughout the tournament.”
Much of the food hall chatter centres around the strength of the other South American contenders — University of Chile and University of Azuay (Ecuador). The University of Chile were runners-up in 2019 and are aiming for another final-four finish this year.
Meanwhile, University of Anáhuac (Mexico) and University of Valencia (Spain) are also seen as the tournaments potential “quiet achievers.” Both teams have strong shooting players who can also handle the ball well.
Women’s tournament
The spotlight is firmly on the university teams from China and Chinese Taipei, even though three-time champions Tsinghua University are not competing this year. 2022 champions, Chinese Culture University, have only one goal and that is to win the championship and bring the trophy home.
Chinese Culture University’s captain, Liou Cian Ling, summed it up simply and said, “We do not want to come second. We have only one desire, and that is to win.”
China’s Huazhong University of Technology captain, Liu Bei, echoed that same competitive spirit. Bei said, “We are not here to make up the numbers. We have a strong belief that we can win. Now we just have to make it happen.”
Canada’s Carleton University who came second in 2024 believe they have what it takes to be on the podium again. Their captain, Noelle Killbreath (number 10) commented and said, “We are aiming for repeat success. Our team last year are an inspiration of putting it all on the line and going for it. We have that mindset.”
The dark horses in the women’s competition are Ukraine’s Vasyl Stefanyk University, host team Paulista University, Brazil, and University of Tasmania, Australia.
The four Paulista players — (from left to right around their coach) Camila, Julia Ana Luiza, and Mikaelly — shared their thoughts during the team photo shoot and said, “We want to do our best. We can’t say anything yet because the tournament hasn’t started, but we will compete, as that is what good athletes do.”
Find out more about the event on the Brasilia 2025 FISU University World Cup 3×3 Basketball official website and follow the games live from 14-16 November on FISU.tv
Written by Ben Ibrahim
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