SHENZHEN (China) - Day one of the 2024 FIBA 3x3 Shenzhen World Tour in China kicked off with a bang, thanks to the electrifying performances of Amsterdam and St. Pauli. Both Amsterdam and St. Pauli brought the heat as they swept their respective pools in this year's penultimate World Tour event. Let's dive into the top stories from the tournament's opening day!
AMAZING AMSTERDAM
Amsterdam swept Pool B, securing two wins to advance to the Quarter-Finals on Day Two. They opened their campaign with an easy 21-5 win over debuting Kanchanaburi K2P, 21-5. Amsterdam followed that up with a convincing victory against a competitive Kandava Turiba, 22-16. Arvin Slagter and Maarten Bouwknecht both shone brightly for Amsterdam. It was the strong start to the tournament that Amsterdam needed, especially as they came in finishing outside the top 4 from the WT Neom 2024.
YOUNG BUCKS
St. Pauli sprang a huge upset right in the first game of the main draw, pulling the rug from under top-ranked Ub Huishan NE, 19-17. They followed that up with another impressive showing, this time against NY Harlem. Led by Fabian Giessmann and Denzel Agyeman, the young German bucks maximized their length and athleticism as they beat the Americans, 21-17, to sweep Pool A in exciting fashion. The future certainly looks bright for German 3x3.
PARIS PUNCH THROUGH
Paris did not start as well as they hoped, losing to Vienna, 20-18, in Pool C play. However, they bounced back big time against Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy, 19-11. If the French wanted to finish atop the pool, they needed Vienna to lose big in their final day one game. Vienna did lose, but not by much. Dulguun Enkhbat's game-winning lay-up gave Ulaanbaatar a 21-20 win, which prevented a Vienna sweep of the pool. Paris advanced together with Vienna from Pool C.
RAUDONDVARIS SURVIVE
To nobody's surprise, Raudondvaris Hoptrans made their mark on day one. After sweeping their Qualifying Draw assignments, the Lithuanian side opened Pool D play by rattling Liman, 21-16, behind the hot hands of Evaldas Džiaugys, who tallied 13 points. In the final Pool D game of the day, Raudondvaris were tripped by Princeton, 21-20, but the Lithuanians still managed to survive and advance to the Quarter-Finals from Pool D together with Princeton.
SHARP-SHOOTERS
Wang Hsin-Wei (Taipei), Steve Sir (Ulaanbaatar), Denzel Agyeman (St. Pauli) and Quincy Diggs (Vienna) all advanced to the Final of the Avant Shootout Contest. Wang surprised everyone with 7 buckets in the Qualification, which Sir also tied. Meanwhile, Agyeman and Diggs each had 5 points.
QUARTER-FINALS
St. Pauli vs. Paris Raudondvaris Hoptrans vs. Kandava Turiba Amsterdam vs. Princeton Vienna vs. Ub Huishan NE
DAY 2
The action in Shenzhen wraps up tomorrow as we find out who leaves China and enters the Hong Kong Final as the victors. Tune in LIVE tomorrow to the finals!
FIBA