Canada and USA U24 headline race for glory in FIBA 3x3 Women's Series Quebec Stop 2023

QUEBEC (Canada) - On-fire Canada are favorites, but a lethal USA U24 side offers stiff competition at the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series Quebec Stop 2023 on August 18-19.

Let’s look into the eighteenth edition of the series. 

The Contenders

The reigning FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series champions Canada have been absolutely rolling. Having one both their last two stop appearances, it seems like they have found their rhythm with ease. With another stop in their turf, odds are heavily stacked in their favor. 

The Plouffe sisters will take to the court alongside sharpshooter Paige Crozon and spark plug scorer Jamie Scott. Their blend of physicality, playmaking and pure shooting has made a statement and with the crowd on their side, expect fireworks from the Canadian side.

They don’t have to look far for competition, just south of the border actually as the U24 USA side are back and stronger than ever. The scorching duo of FIBA 3x3 World Cup Gold Medalists Cameron Brink and Hailey Van Lith will be taking the court and Quebec by storm. Van-Lith has seen even further success in the 3x3 field in recent times, leading the USA U23 side to a dominant run in the Nations League last month. The immovable defense of Brink led to her being crowned MVP at the World Cup, making the Americans a force to be reckoned with come Friday. If Canada needed a challenge, they have it in bulk.

Competition doesn’t stop there. Germany are a side that have come ever so close, but are yet to make a run to the final. They have started to find their rhythm though, showing us glimpses of what makes them a constant threat for any team they go up against. Sonja Greinacher is starting to get rolling supported by the offensive flair of Marie Reichert and Luana Rodefeld, not to mention the defensive impact of Svenja Brunckhorst. While the lights will shine on the two North American sides, Germany will be right there in the mix. 

The Field

Italy will be a thunderbolt as they have been, though they will have to contend with the absence of Raelin D’Alie. She will be replaced by Mariella Santucci who will be making her Women’s Series debut in Quebec. The trio of Consolini, Madera and Spreafico will also take to the court after they narrowly lost to USA in the Quarter-Finals in Poland. They have a superb mix of athleticism and skill, which has been a huge factor to their success. 

Poland have usually been one to hang with the best of them, even making deep runs this season. They will be competing with an entirely new-look squad however, with three making their debut for this season’s Women’s Series. The experienced Jastina Kosalewicz will lead a 

side with the debuting trio of Marta Marcinkowska, Weronika Papiernik and Aleksandra Ziemborska. It will be fascinating to see how the side finds their rhythm.

The event goes deep in talent, with teams like Romania led by Alina Podar and Chile who have made waves recently with their showing in Prague. When sharpshooter Jovanka Ljubetic takes to the court, teams gotta watch out. 

Pools

Pool A: Canada, USA U24, Romania, New Zealand

Pool B: Germany, Poland, Italy, Chile

How to watch

The action takes place in Canada on August 18-19 and you can catch it all on the FIBA 3x3 YouTube channel and Facebook pages.