College seniors to play in 3-on-3 tourney at Final Four for $100,000

With the launch of Ice Cube’s BIG3 league and the sport’s admission into the 2020 Olympics, 3-on-3 basketball is all the rage now. In 2018 it will become part of the Final Four.

The company Intersport on Tuesday announced the creation of the 3-on-3 College Hoops Invitational, a first-ever event that will pit all-star teams from college basketball’s top conferences against each other in a three day tournament from March 30 through April 1, 2018 in San Antonio, site of the Final Four.

Per the company’s release, “Teams will be competing for a $100,000 prize pool. All participating players must be seniors that have exhausted their collegiate eligibility. ”

It remains unclear how teams will be selected, but there’s already one vote for Seton Hall’s senior trio of Khadeen Carrington, Angel Delgado and Desi Rodriguez, part of a Pirates team that hopes to make a March run.

Gimmie Angel, Desi, and Khadeen. #shbb https://t.co/IyFv5PyFtL

— Dennis Chambers (@DennisChambers_) August 22, 2017

“The game of 3-on-3 basketball continues to gain momentum thanks to its recent addition to the Olympics in 2020 and further development at the professional and grassroots levels,” said Intersport’s Vice President of Sports Properties Drew Russell. “Based on our storied and successful history of creating and producing live college events for more than 30 years, Intersport is perfectly positioned to bring 3-on-3 basketball to the college game. We’ve been in the planning stages for months and are excited to bring this new and exciting opportunity to market for the very first time.”

Intersport is the creator and operator of the College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships which has taken place annually in the host city of college basketball’s national championship since 1989. The event allows 24 of the nation’s top senior men’s and women’s college basketball players to showcase their skills in front of a nationally televised audience.

Intersport’s latest college basketball venture will follow international 3-on-3 rules:

·              One basket on a single half court

·              Two teams of four players (including one substitute per team)

·              12-second shot-clock

·              One point per basket inside the arc, two points per basket behind the arc

·              First team to reach 21 points or best score after ten minutes wins

“We love the fast-paced nature of 3-on-3 and how it relates to current trends in digital and social media consumption,” Russell said. “We thought long and hard about the best way to structure the tournament to benefit both college basketball fans and players. For fans, this will be an opportunity to see the nation’s top seniors compete in the unique 3-on-3 format. For players, it will be one last opportunity to showcase their skills on a national stage and give them the chance to earn a significant sum of money. It will also expose them to the 3-on-3 format which will hopefully lead to new opportunities as they look to further their basketball playing careers. There were more than 1,100 seniors on Division I college basketball rosters during the 2016-17 season and only 13 were selected in the NBA Draft. The 3-on-3 College Hoops Invitational will provide yet another opportunity for exposure.”