The FIBA 3x3 World Cup gets underway for GB Men here in Mongolia

GB Men began their FIBA 3x3 World Cup campaign today with two difficult fixtures against the 2024 Olympic champions, the Netherlands, and the highly talented Switzerland.

Head Coach Afiz Olaniyan’s team put up a strong performance in the World Cup Qualifiers, back in May, where they defeated Azerbaijan and Rwanda en route to the World Cup. Ashley Hamilton, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye (DLO), and Hafeez Abdul all returned to the squad whilst Evan Walshe made his first appearance for the Men’s 3x3 since the Europe Cup last August 2024.

GB arrived in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with confidence, despite being drawn in a challenging group that featured Spain and Lithuania alongside the aforementioned Switzerland and Netherlands.

Great Britain VS The Netherlands

As the third-ranked men’s 3x3 federation in the world, and the reigning Olympic champions, the Netherlands represented the most significant challenge for GB.

The Dutch boast a host of talent, spearheaded by Worthy de Jong, the world’s fifth-ranked 3x3 player. He hit a clutch two-point shot to clinch the Olympics in the summer of 2024, and was one to watch heading into this opening fixture.

GB started with the requisite intensity. Hafeez Abdul was immediately fouled on a two-point attempt in the corner, making one of two free throws, before DLO drove and spun to the basket with ease. They maintained the pressure, both hitting deep twos over their defenders.

The Netherlands stayed somewhat in step as a result of defensive miscommunications committed by GB. Dimeo van der Horst drove into the jump stop and fade to get one to go and Bryan Alberts converted on an open two-point shot as GB got caught trying to switch defensively. 8-5 in favour of GB.

Van der Horst sparked a Dutch run, sealing his position down low and laying up over Evan Walshe. Jan Driessen made use of the momentum, darting across the paint and splashing in the short midrange jumper before Bryan Alberts got involved with a two pointer of his own.

At this point the Netherlands were 10-9 up, with the wind in their sails, looking like they might run away with it. But, DLO stepped up, willing GB on. De Jong caught the ball and the top of the key and ripped through to beat his defender and get to the slam dunk. So, in response, DLO performed the exact same rip-through on de Jong, immediately after, securing the wide open layup.

Some more crafty play from DLO, showcasing his hesitation dribble and quality playmaking, saw GB take an 18-14 lead with just a couple of minutes to play.

However, with 30 seconds to go, van der Horst knocked down a fading, flat, two-pointer, off the dribble, to cut the lead to 19-18. With more experience in these clutch moments, the Dutch looked the more composed side, and after Driessen forced a turnover straight off of the check-up, the Olympic finals hero hit a two-pointer with just a second to spare, giving the Netherlands the one-point lead and the win in heartbreaking fashion.

Final Score: GBR 19 / NED 20

Switzerland VS Great Britain

Switzerland came into this fixture having suffered a heavy defeat to Spain courtesy of a 10-point scoring Barrage from Iván Aurrecoechea.

GB faced Switzerland in the quarter finals of the Europe Cup in 2024, falling 21-10 to a strong and well-drilled side. However, a rejuvenated GB side with a year's extra experience was determined to right some wrongs.

DLO started where he left off with the Netherlands, getting into his dribble hesitation game to create space to step through and lay the ball in off the glass. GB then got into some nice motion offence, catching Abdul on the curl for the easy lay-in.

Switzerland were firing from the off. Jonathan Kazadi floated the ball into Jonathan Dubas, getting him open under the basket. Soon after, Kazadi stepped across the baseline for the baseline jumper. They soon held an early 7-2 lead, and it looked as if GB were feeling their tough loss to the Netherlands from earlier in the day.

Despite the Swiss’s offence flowing to start this one, GB were able to exploit their careless fouling to tie the game up at seven apiece.

Nevertheless, Dubas and Kazadi continued to dominate. The former hit a two pointer, then spun in the paint and finished with the hook off glass, before finally converting on a well-executed pick-and-roll with Kazadi. The latter, then, hit a highly contested two-point shot over Walshe’s contest, taking the 18-15 lead with less than a minute to go, negating DLO’s strong scoring performance in the final minutes.

Final Score 21-16

GB will play Lithuania at 4:50 am (BST) on 25 June before facing Spain at 6:40 am (BST) to round out Pool D.