Plum, Young Named To 2020 USA Basketball 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Team Training Camp Roster

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (February 7, 2020)—USA Basketball released the roster for the 2020 Women’s 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Team training camp, and Las Vegas Aces guards Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young are among the 11 players making their way to Pullman Community Center in Chicago Illinois from February 12-13.

From that pool of athletes, the USA Basketball 3×3 player selection committees will name four women to represent USA Basketball at the 2020 FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament March 18-22 in Bengaluru, India. The top three finishing 3×3 teams will earn berths into the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games 3×3 basketball competition. As per FIBA regulations, all teams taking part in the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament must include at least two athletes who are ranked among the federation’s top 10 FIBA 3×3 athletes.

“This is an extremely exciting time for USA Basketball as we prepare for the first-ever 3×3 Olympic Qualification Tournament. This training camp is the next step towards earning a berth into the Olympic Games, so it is incredibly important,” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. “Many of our country’s top available 3×3 players will be participating, and USA Basketball will be looking to select the best USA 3×3 teams possible for the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. We know it will be a very competitive training camp, and the selection committee will have a difficult challenge to narrow down the rosters.”

In addition to Plum and Young, also taking part in the women’s training camp are Cierra Burdick (Tennessee ’15), Layshia Clarendon (Connecticut Sun), Natasha Cloud (Washington Mystics), Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Stefanie Dolson (Chicago Sky), Kelly Faris (Connecticut ’13), Allisha Gray (Dallas Wings), Linnae Harper (Chicago Sky), and Katie Lou Samuelson (Chicago Sky).

The USA women earned their spot in the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament by virtue of their status on the FIBA 3×3 world rankings.

The 2020 Olympics for the first time will feature the inclusion of 3×3 basketball with eight men’s and eight women’s teams competing for gold July 25-29 in Tokyo.

Russia, China, Mongolia and Romania have already earned Olympic bids by virtue of their top FIBA 3×3 world rankings.

Twenty women’s teams will compete for three Olympic qualifying berths in the March 18-22 FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. The USA women at the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament will play in Group A with France, Germany, Uruguay and Indonesia. Group B includes Iran, Japan, Ukraine, Turkmenistan and Australia. Group C features Netherlands, Estonia, Belarus, Hungary and Sri Lanka. And, in Group D will be Italy, Taipei, Switzerland, Spain and host India.

The eighth and final Olympic 3×3 qualifying spots will be awarded based on FIBA’s universality clause, which is designed to offer an Olympic 3×3 berth to one country in the men’s tournament and the women’s tournament who did not have a team at the 2012 or 2016 Olympic basketball tournaments.

An exciting and fast-paced game, 3×3 officially was unveiled in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and since has become a fan favorite at FIBA 3×3 World Cup events. Played on a half court with a 10-minute clock, and a 12-second shot clock, the first team to 21 points, or the team in the lead at the end of regulation, is the winner.