SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Dec. 15, 2024) – After four combined pool play victories and five knockout triumphs, the 2024 USA Basketball 3x3 AmeriCup Teams secured first and second place finishes at the 2024 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Dec. 15.
The United States men, two years removed from their 2022 title, captured a third tournament triumph dating back to the inaugural FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup in Miami, Florida. The USA women, meanwhile, appeared in their second straight title game and earned a third overall medal at the event since its inception in 2021.
2024 USA 3x3 Men's AmeriCup Team representatives Henry Caruso, Mitch Hahn, James Parrott and Dylan Travis flashed their brilliance with a perfect 5-0 run during the group and knockout stages in San Juan.
In the finale against host Puerto Rico, the United States opened with a 3-1 run with scores from Parrott, Travis and Hahn. Puerto Rico countered with a 3-1 run of its own to knot it at four but Parrott returned the favor with a 2-pointer and emphatic, one-handed block at the rim.
A Travis 2-pointer made it 9-6, but Puerto Rico remained offensively consistent. Their group made five 1-point buckets and an outside score to take a 13-11 lead with under four minutes to play. The two traded scores until Caruso threw down a dunk to make it 18-17.
Parrott followed with another flush roughly 45 seconds before Travis, who showcased his shot-making ability with Team Miami on the 2024 World Tour, swished a game-winning 2-pointer with 45 seconds to go. He scored seven in the 21-18 gold medal finish, Parrott scored eight and Hahn finished with four.
Caruso pocketed tournament MVP honors in his first USA Basketball national team experience and Parrott earned a spot on the All-Tournament team.
“It was an awesome experience,” Caruso said following the win. “I’m really excited and honored to win this one for USA Basketball. I want to thank all of our coaches and staff. They were awesome all week getting us prepared, getting us healthy between games… It’s a lot of fun being able to come and play this tournament at the end of the season.”
2024 USA 3x3 Women’s AmeriCup Team members Abbey Hsu, Maddy Siegrist, Azurá Stevens and Brittney Sykes rolled through two of their three opponents to secure a 2-1 mark in the knockout rounds.
The United States battled against unbeaten Canada in the finale. After Sykes executed on a layup to push the USA ahead 2-1, the Canadians cashed in on four consecutive 1-pointers to flip a one-point deficit into a three-tally advantage. Stevens finally broke a scoring drought with a much-needed 2-pointer.
From then on, the score seesawed until the final buzzer. Whenever Canada drilled a 2-pointer, the USA responded with a timely pair of 1-point field goals to remain within striking distance. Canada did, however, extend its lead to two, 17-15, after making two free throws and a layup.
Facing what appeared to be an challenging defeat, Hsu banked in a 2-pointer from the top of the key to tie it at 17 and force Canada into an overtime scenario. There, the Canadians scored two layups to capture the title.
Sykes finished with a team-best nine points, Stevens scored four and Hsu chalked up three.
Different than 5-on-5, 3x3 is played on a half-court with a 10-minute game clock and 12-second shot clock. Play is continuous, as teams “clear” the ball behind the 2-point line following a made basket, defensive rebound or steal. The first team to score 21 points via 1-point field goals or 2-pointers behind the arc is victorious; or if time expires then the team leading wins.