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Alexa Philippou, ESPN
Cameron Brink, Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard and Hailey Van Lith have been named to the USA Basketball 3×3 Women’s National Team for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the organization announced Wednesday.
Brink, Burdick and Van Lith won gold at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup — where Brink took home MVP — while Burdick also won gold at the 2014 World Championship for 3×3. All four recently played in the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Springfield Stop — where Canada beat USA to win the event — and have other 3×3 and 5×5 experience with USA Basketball.
Brink and Howard were WNBA lottery picks, the former going No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks in 2024 and the latter No. 1 to the Atlanta Dream in 2022. Burdick, who played collegiately at Tennessee from 2011-15, has played for six different WNBA franchises, most recently the Seattle Storm in 2021.
After stints at Louisville and LSU, Van Lith is finishing her college career at TCU this upcoming season.
“It is an honor to announce the USA Basketball 3×3 Women’s National Team,” Jay Demings, USA Basketball 3×3 national team director and member of the USA Basketball 3×3 women’s selection committee, said in a statement. “It is an exciting process to put a roster together that will represent the country on a global stage. We are thankful for all the athletes who attended training camps or participated in 3×3 competitions on the journey to Paris 2024.”
The team will be coached by Jennifer Rizzotti and assisted by Tammi Reiss.
“I say this all the time but there is no greater privilege than to represent the USA at the Olympics,” Rizzotti said in a statement. “We understand that challenge in front of us as we face tremendous talent and experienced 3×3 teams. I am confident this roster gives us what we need to compete for another gold medal with experience, versatility and a commitment to USA Basketball excellence. I cannot wait to get started.”
3×3 basketball debuted as an Olympic event in 2021, when the USA’s Stefanie Dolson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and Allisha Gray took home gold in Tokyo.
The other qualified teams on the women’s side for the Olympic 3×3 competition in Paris are China, France, Azerbaijan, Australia, Germany, Spain and Canada. In the most recent federation rankings, the USA women are slated as second in the world behind China.
With inspiration from street basketball, 3×3 basketball is played on a half court and with a 10-minute game clock plus a 12-second shot clock. A team wins when it is the first to reach 21 points or it is ahead when time expires (field goals are worth one point while shots behind the arc are worth two).
The 3×3 Olympic event will run from July 30-Aug. 5.