UNC Basketball: Tar Heels to play in USA Basketball 3X Nationals

The UNC women’s basketball program will be represented at the upcoming USA Basketball 3X Nationals tournament by four of their current sophomores.

This weekend, the 2022 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Nationals will take place at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. The three-day event, which runs from May 13-15, will feature up to 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams that will compete for national titles.

In this year’s event, the UNC women’s basketball program will be well-represented.

After finishing the 2021-2022 season in the Sweet 16, the Tar Heels received an invitation to compete in the tournament. Participating teams earned their spots in the 2022 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Nationals either through Red Bull USA Basketball 3X regional qualifying tournaments last fall or via an at-large invitation from USA Basketball (the way in which the Tar Heels were entered into the mix).

The program will send four current sophomores: Deja Kelly, Kennedy Todd-Williams, Alyssa Ustby, and Alexandra Zelaya to represent the UNC women’s basketball program.

Now, you may be wondering, why is the program only sending four players? Well, the rules of this tournament are a bit different than your typical basketball game.

Games for this event are played on a half-court. The game clock only has 10 minutes, and teams just have 12-seconds on the shot clock to get their shot off. In this half-court setting, the first team to 21 points, or the team in the lead at the end of regulation, is the winner.

This event will also serve as the final evaluation of players for selection to various men’s and women’s national teams, most notable the 2022 FIBA 3×3 World Cup in Antwerp, Belgium.

When asked about her student-athletes competing in the event, head coach Courtney Banghart was very excited about the opportunity:

"“It’s so exciting that our team’s success this past season has earned our program an opportunity to compete in the National 3-v-3 competition. Alyssa, Toddy, Deja, and Z will represent the Tar Heels and they will do it well. They are eager to compete alongside some of the best collegiate players in the country, while being back in the Caroline blue uniform together.”"

This is a great opportunity not only for these student-athletes to represent the University of North Carolina but will also serve as a competitive off-season challenge where they should earn plenty of valuable basketball experience that they can bring back with them to Chapel Hill.

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