What: FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup 2021

When: Nov. 12-14, 2021

Where: Bayfront Park, Miami, Florida

Inaugural event: The inaugural FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup 2021 begins on Friday, November 12 at Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida with FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series action kicking off the tournament.

Tournament format: The Canadian women will begin pool play on Friday, while the men will begin their pool play on Saturday. After pool play, the medal round will begin on Sunday, November 14th, with the top two teams from each of the four preliminary round groups advancing to compete in the quarterfinals.

Coming in hot: The Canadian women come into the event as the top seed, headlining Pool A. Canada is ranked 19th in the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Federation Rankings, and will help the tournament get underway when they face Puerto Rico at 1:30 PM ET and Uruguay at 5:35 PM ET on Friday.

Top-two: The men, meanwhile, enter the tournament as the number two seed for the men’s series, and the top-ranked team in Pool B. The men will hit the court on Saturday, November 13, facing the winner of the Qualifying Draw A (Uruguay, Haiti or Jamaica) at 12:50 ET, and then Argentina at 4:50 PM ET.

Things to know heading into Day 1 action for the women’s series at the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup 2021:

Getting familiar: The rosters for the inaugural event were unveiled earlier this week, with plenty of familiar faces for Canadian basketball fans. Representing Canada for the women’s series will be veterans Michelle Plouffe, Paige Crozon and Catherine Traer, along with first-timer Kacie Bosch. While this will be the Team Canada debut for Bosch, Plouffe enters the tournament as the top ranked 3x3 player in Canada and one of the original members of Canada’s 3x3 women’s team. Ranked 26th in the world, Plouffe is also the highest-ranked player in the women’s series at the tournament. Plouffe, along with Traer and Crozon, helped lead Canada to first-place finishes in the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series stops in Montreal and Edmonton this year.

Game on: The amazing thing about FIBA 3x3 is that there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re a fan of the NBA, the college game, or are just curious about the 3x3 court itself, Paige Crozon wants you to know that the game is for you, whether playing it yourself or watching from home. “I think everyone can enjoy it,” Crozon said. “You don't have to have an [in-depth] understanding of basketball because there's just so much action on either side of the ball. I often talk to young athletes about why 3x3 is so important for their game, even if they want to play five on five. You have to learn how to score the basketball because you're just a little bit more isolated. And then defensively, you have to learn how to defend the basketball because there's not a team of help behind you, you have to learn to keep the ball in front of you or you're going to get caught up.”

Where to watch: Fans in Canada can catch all of the action live on FIBA’s official YouTube channel.

‍