Olympics
Mechelle Voepel 3y

U.S. women's team set for inaugural 3x3 basketball at Tokyo Olympics; Kara Lawson to coach

Olympic Sports, WNBA, Women's Olympic Basketball

The U.S. women's team members were announced Wednesday for the inaugural 3x3 basketball competition at the Tokyo Olympics. The four-member team is Chicago center Stefanie Dolson, Dallas guard Allisha Gray, Las Vegas guard Kelsey Plum and Seattle forward Katie Lou Samuelson.

Dolson and Samuelson are both former UConn players, while Gray finished her college career at South Carolina after starting at North Carolina. Plum went to Washington and is Division I's all-time leading scorer in women's basketball (3,527 points). Plum was the highest-drafted of the four in the WNBA, going No. 1 in 2017.

All four are first-time Olympians but have extensive USA Basketball experience. Plum was on the 5x5 team that won the 2018 FIBA Women's World Cup.

Duke coach Kara Lawson, who won a 5x5 gold medal as a U.S. player in 2008, will coach the 3x3 team. Rules do not allow coaches during the actual competition, but they can practice and prepare with their teams.

There are eight teams in the Olympic competition; the United States earned its spot as it finished first at the FIBA 3x3 qualifying tournament in May.

The sport of 3x3 was first unveiled in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. It is played with a 12-second shot clock on a half court. Baskets inside the arc and free throws are worth one point, while baskets made from outside the arc are worth two points. The winner is the first team to score 21 points, or the leading team at the end of the 10-minute game clock. Each team has four players: three on the court and one substitute.

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