USA Basketball could still come home with two medals this Olympics.
With how disappointing the men’s team has been these last few weeks, culminating on Sunday in Team USA’s first Olympic loss to France, the team’s since 2004 on Sunday, the hope for two gold medals in hoops this Olympic year seemed slim.
We know the USA women’s 5-on-5 team is going to handle its business. With as many legends as they have on the roster, it would be seemingly impossible for them to slip up.
Yet most people are overlooking the success of the women’s 3×3 hoops team, a squad that has dominated the field so far in Tokyo. WNBA stars Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jacquelyn Young are now 6-0 and have advanced to the semifinals after a 21-19 win over China.
For anyone not familiar with the newer Olympic sports, 3×3 hoops is basically the same 3-on-3 you play at the park. The first team to 21, or whoever leads at the end of 10 minutes, wins. Two-point baskets count as 1 point under these rules, and threes count as 2.
It’s a little bit different from traditional 5-on-5. It’s faster-paced and more physical, but as you can see by the women’s performance so far, if you are a hooper you can hoop.
3×3 is a fun and energetic game that captures your attention pretty easily. It might be the perfect brand of basketball for the TikTok generation.
The 3×3 women’s team is holding down the fort for the United States while the men’s national team tries to get it together. It might be time for Americans to put their hopes in these four women to win a medal, rather than putting stock in the debacle that is the men’s 5-on-5 team.
Let’s hope that these ladies can go ahead and bring that gold medal home.
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