SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Dec. 15, 2024) – Canada’s 3x3 Men’s National Team made history with their first-ever medal at the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup 2024, defeating Mexico and the Dominican Republic to capture bronze.

Quarterfinals: Canada 21, Mexico 14

In the comeback of the day, Canada overcame an early 1-6 deficit to defeat Mexico and secure their spot in the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup 2024.

It seemed a quick start for Mexico, who scored right out of the gate and found themselves ahead by five points early on. It was a grind for Canada, who started the game with some tough misses.

An off-balance two-pointer from Steve Sir got them within three, but Mexico continued to power on, going on another 5-2 scoring run. After a two-pointer from Mexico’s Charly Zesati, Canada was down 5-11.

Begin the comeback.

A Jérôme Desrosiers dunk and the score was 6-11. Sir’s knockdown two-pointer and the score was 8-11. The Desrosiers-Sir duo resulted in two more buckets. 9-12, then 10-12. Canada could see an opening.

After missing a few shots from beyond the arc, Marek Klassen decided to drive down the lane, putting Canada within one at 11-12.

After some back-and-forth, Desrosiers tied the game at 13-13 with the clock counting down. The belief was there, and teammate Grant Audu knocked down a two to give Canada their first lead of the game at 15-14. 

The men’s team had caught fire now, scoring six straight points to put Mexico in the rearview mirror and take the quarterfinal win 21-14. Audu, who scored the game-winning free throws, finished with four points and seven rebounds.

Desrosiers led all scorers with eight points, while Sir finished with seven points and five rebounds to move on to the semifinals against the home team Puerto Rico.

Semifinals: Canada 17, Puerto Rico 19 (OT)

Canada’s semifinal game against Puerto Rico was nothing short of dramatic. After another slow start from behind, an Audu floater and Desrosiers side-step two lifted Canada back to a one-point deficit.

However, they got into foul trouble early, marking their seventh foul of the game with over halfway to go, and Puerto Rico, backed by its home crowd, took advantage of the physicality.

Slowly but surely, Canada made their way back into the game, thanks to an assertive presence from Klassen – who finished with a team-high six rebounds and found ways to get to the basket.

Steve Sir lit another fire by making it a two-point ball game when he drained a deep shot from beyond the arc. The two-man game with Desrosiers proved effective, giving Canada their first lead, 16-15.

Thanks to Desrosiers, Canada was up 17-15 with less than a minute to go – but after a couple of missed opportunities, Puerto Rico’s Antonio Ralat made a clutch two-pointer to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Under overtime rules, the first team to score two (2) points wins the game, and Puerto Rico’s defence proved too much for Canada. Following a blocked shot and a few misses, hometown heroes Puerto Rico secured two buckets to win and advance to the gold medal game.

The Canadian men would have to put this game behind them, as they had a chance at a bronze medal finish against the Dominican Republic later that night.

“We talked about how this is 3x3 in a nutshell,” said Sir. “You have to take what you did well and move forward. You have to learn from what you didn't get done and keep pushing. More than anything, you have to refocus, regroup, get back out there, and compete, and that's really difficult to do mentally.”

Bronze Medal Game: Canada 21, Dominican Republic 16

The Canadian men regrouped and made history with their first-ever podium finish at the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup with a victory over the Dominican Republic.

The third and final game of the day had a similar slow start as the previous two, but this time, there was only one objective in mind: a bronze medal.

After going down 1-5 to start, Canada battled back to bring it within one – and sure enough, tournament All-Star Steve Sir knocked down the deep two-pointer to give Canada the 6-5.

The Dominican Republic would tie the game at 6-6 but never regain the lead as Toronto’s Grant Audu made several clutch plays down the stretch – knocking down a two, securing an and-one, and clinching the final bucket that would give Canada the win and take the bronze medal home.

“This moment is monumental,” said Audu.

The pick-and-roll between Marek Klassen and Jérôme Desrosiers was effective down the stretch, and Klassen assisted Desrosiers to put Canada up 19-11. The Dominican Republic applied some pressure with three quick buckets back-to-back, but it wasn’t enough as Canada claimed their victory and made program history.

“It's special for the program, for the staff, for the players, and for everybody,” said Sir. “It's so hard to win in this sport…this is a lifelong dream of mine to win a medal for Canada.”

Desrosiers echoes Sir’s sentiments, saying, “We all had the same goal in mind, but we did it for each other…there was no selfishness involved.”

Sir calls this bronze medal a lifetime achievement for himself and the whole team, saying, “It's something you'll remember the rest of your life.”