Team Saskatoon took on the world and proudly represented Canada at the 2013 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final. The Canadian quartet’s 3x3 journey began at Canada Basketball’s 3x3 Canada Quest tournament and continued at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour San Juan Masters tournament where they finished in second place to earn their ticket to the finale in Turkey.

Troy Gottselig, Michael Lieffers, Michael Linklater and Trevor Nerdahl have known each other and played with one another since their days with the 2010 University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Their on-court chemistry and history showed as the team opened the competition with a 19-17 victory over Team Kranj of Slovenia.

They continued their strong play through the pool, but encountered eventual champions Team Brezovica. The Slovenians edged past Saskatoon by the slimmest of margins at 17-16. The Canadians’ final opponent of the preliminary round was Team New York Staten – the team that had taken the title at the San Juan Masters by defeating Saskatoon. The Red and White contingent put together a strong defensive effort en route to a 13-8 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.

In the next round, Saskatoon faced another seasoned opponent in Team Novi Sad of Serbia. Despite another strong showing, the team from Saskatchewan fell 18-13 in a hard-fought affair. Saskatoon’s four games saw the team play the eventual fourth-place finishers, the tournament runners-up and the gold medalists.

Tournaments and events like the World Tour propel the growth of 3x3 across the globe in terms of participation and popularity. Team Saskatoon’s performances this 3x3 season have shown Canada’s commitment to the game and the rise of Canadian talent as the nation strives for continued success on the international stage.

2013 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final

<table width="630" cellspacing="0" border="0">    <colgroup> <col width="170">    <col width="105">      <col width="250">   <col width="105">   </colgroup>    <tbody>        <tr>            <td><span><span><span><b>Date</b></span></span></span></td>            <td><span><span><span><b>Time (ET)</b></span></span></span></td>            <td><span><span><span><b>Opponent</b></span></span></span></td>            <td><span><span><span><b>Result</b></span></span></span></td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td><span><span>Friday, October 4</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>9:20 a.m.</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>Kranj (Slovenia)</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>W 19-17</span></span></td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td><span><span>Friday, October 4</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>11:10 a.m.</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>Brezovica (Slovenia)</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>L 17-16</span></span></td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td><span><span>Friday, October 4</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>2:20 p.m.</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>New York Staten (United States)</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>W 13-8</span></span></td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td><span><span>Saturday, October 5</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>4:15 a.m.</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>Novi Sad (Serbia)</span></span></td>            <td><span><span>L 18-13</span></span></td>        </tr>    </tbody></table>

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