Daily Briefing — Aug. 30, 2022: 3×3 basketball continues rapid expansion

It’s Tuesday. Welcome to The Next’s Daily Briefing, featuring the NCAA Roundup. The WNBA postseason will resume on Wednesday evening, with Game 2 of the semifinal series on ESPN2. Meanwhile, the 3×3 basketball world continues to thrive. From helping formerly incarcerated people re-enter their communities to providing more opportunities for players to compete on the world stage, the explosion of growth in 3×3 is unprecedented.

On Sunday, Team USA won the U18 3×3 World Cup, which began on Aug. 23. They defeated Germany in the final, 21–11. This is the fourth consecutive gold medal for the U.S. women and their sixth in the tournament’s history. Guard Mikaylah Williams, who led the tournament in scoring, became a two-time tournament MVP.

Earlier this month, the Commonwealth Games debuted 3×3 wheelchair basketball on an international scale to resounding success. The tournament has been highly anticipated since its announcement in 2020, especially after the 2020 IWBF World Games, where the sport was initially expected to debut, were canceled. Team Canada took gold, defeating Australia 14–5 in the final. The Deaf International Basketball Federation will debut 3×3 basketball at the World Cup in Israel in September of this year.

On Monday, West Virginia announced that former player Jessica Morton had passed away. Former West Virginia assistant coach Chester Nichols confirmed the news and that her passing was unexpected. Morton played for West Virginia from 2014–16.

Finally, USF announced Monday afternoon that former player Neena Pacholke had passed away unexpectedly on Saturday. Pacholke played for USF from 2013–16 and was a news anchor in at WAOW in Wisconsin.

Next, read:

• Our Matthew Walter details how the Las Vegas Aces can bounce back from Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Storm.
• Our David Yapkowitz checks in with Los Angeles Sparks rookie Kianna Smith about what she learned from a roller-coaster season and her plans to play overseas in the offseason.

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NCAA Roundup

Injuries

• Jordyn Cambridge: The point guard announced Monday evening that she had suffered an Achilles rupture. Cambridge is expected to miss the 2022–23 season, which would’ve been her fifth with Vanderbilt.

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