Duke, Baylor among top college teams with players who could win an Olympic gold medal in 3×3 basketball

The 2024 Olympics are bringing an alternative form of basketball into the international spotlight as 3×3 basketball makes its return after debuting in Tokyo during the 2020 Olympics. A total of eight nations are competing in the event, which is played in a half-court setting with a 12-second shot clock.

Generally, the premise of the game is the same as traditional basketball: put the ball in the basket while trying to stop your opponent from doing the same. However, 3×3 places an even greater premium on outside shooting as shots from beyond the arc are worth two points as opposed to just one for shots inside the arc.

Perhaps that’s why former BYU star Jimmer Fredette has found such a prominent place in the world of 3×3 basketball. The 35-year old former All-American hit 39.4% of his 3-pointers over four seasons with the Cougars and led the nation in scoring during the 2010-11 season. Though he found limited success in the NBA, Fredette shined while playing overseas and now has a chance to add a gold medal to his resume.

With 3×3 hoops getting some attention, we set out to theorize how it might work in college basketball. For this week’s Dribble Handoff, our writers are picking which 2024-25 college basketball teams would produce the best 3×3 teams.

Baylor

Jeremy Roach, V.J. Edgecombe and Norchad Omier

I’ll go with Baylor’s Roach, Edgecombe and Omier — mostly because that would give me a fifth-year lead guard (Roach) who shot 42.9% from 3-point range last season at Duke, a likely one-and-done wing (Edgecombe) who has the size and athleticism to take on our toughest defensive assignments, and a fifth-year big (Omier) who has averaged a double-double in four straight years of college basketball. It’s a three-man team that would be talented, athletic and experienced. 

We could play pick-and-roll with Roach and Omier. We could isolate Edgecombe and let him overwhelm inferior talents. Bottom line, this trio would be better-equipped than any other school’s best three-man tandem to bring home a gold medal, in my opinion. They’re the main reasons Baylor will enter this season among the favorites to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament, which would make Scott Drew a rare two-time championship-winning coach. — Gary Parrish

Illinois

Kylan Boswell, Kasparas Jakučionis and Tomislav Ivišić 

If I’m piecing together and scouting for a competitive 3×3 team, I want the following, in no particular order: shooting, size, rebounding, toughness and selflessness, which will (hopefully) beget passing and ball-movement. In Illinois I feel I can tick all those boxes off. 

Boswell is an Arizona transfer who is a creative passer who can initiate actions. Jakučionis is a freshman do-it-all threat who can shoot, attack and add size as a rebounder. And big man Ivišić is every bit of 7-foot-1 who can space the floor as a shooter, be a threat as a roller and find open teammates as a passer to boot. 

The ball movement, shooting and rebounding for this trio would be difficult to contend with for any team. I like my chances with the core pieces of this year’s Illini newcomers. — Kyle Boone

Rutgers

Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper and Jordan Derkack

The Rutgers trio of Bailey, Harper and Derkack would be a young but fearsome combo in a 3×3 format because of their skill and versatility. Bailey and Harper are both five-star freshmen while Derkack is a junior who was named NEC Player of the Year (and Defensive Player of the Year) at Merrimack last season. 

Derkack and Harper are both listed at 6-6 and 215 pounds. Bailey is 6-10 and weighs in at 200. While there is no paint bruiser in the bunch, all three have the right combination of size and athleticism to hold their own, regardless of the switches that come via picks or dribble handoffs. Offensively, they would be matchup nightmares as all three would be able to fly past traditional bigs or bully smaller guards. 

The jury is out on whether the massively revamped Scarlet Knights can be a championship squad in 2024-25 while relying so heavily on two freshmen. But in this theoretical college 3×3 competition, Rutgers is an easy pick. — David Cobb

Duke

Tyrese Proctor, Caleb Foster and Cooper Flagg 

The luxury of having a roster full of blue-chip talent is you have players with different skill sets for unique scenarios like this one. 

I debated between Duke, Kansas and Alabama for this exercise, but ultimately settled on the Blue Devils because they would roll out a fun lineup. You need players who can shoot, facilitate and defend, so Proctor, Foster and Flagg would check those boxes. 

Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, will be one of the best two-way players from Day 1 because he’s a three-level scorer who is also an elite defender. Proctor has shown he can be a high-level defender with an adequate assist/turnover ratio. Foster is the true wild card of the group because he’s due for a monster sophomore season. 

I debated on throwing Purdue transfer Mason Gillis into the lineup because of his elite 3-point shooting but settled with a lineup of Proctor, Foster and Flagg. — Cameron Salerno