3x3 - Argentina and USA triumphant at #3x3 U18s

JAKARTA (3x3) - There was no stopping the USA's women and Argentina's men from 26 to 29 September at the 2013 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships, in Jakarta, Indonesia where plenty of new 3x3 stars were born.

Let's simply call him 'The Great Gaby'. Gabriel 'Gaby' Deck, a 2013 Nike Hoop Summit participant, was just unstoppable in Indonesia, hitting overtime game-winners from behind the arc or using his big body near the basket like his idol Luis Scola. The 18-year-old led Argentina to a perfect 11-0 record, ending the tournament just like they started, with a win against France.

France had come with big ambitions, initially planning to bring the exact same team that won bronze in 2012, in Alcobendas, Spain. The plan got sidetracked as Damien Inglis, one of the best NBA and 3x3 prospects in the world, picked up an injury. His sub Lucas Paoletti became one of the stories of the tournament, collecting stitches on a daily basis, after breaking a rim in his first practice and meeting an elbow above the eye on his second. He ended up being a force in the middle for the silver medalist.

Silver had a taste of gold for Estonia's women team. Led by the towering (1.91m) Trine Kasemägi, Estonia - a country of just over a million inhabitants - defeated all the big nations to reach the final against an untouchable Team USA.

Estonia's run wasn't the only David against Goliath story of the tournament as Lithuania's men stunned a strong US team in the Last 16 and 17-year-old Teodora Dineva of Bulgaria beat two guys to strike gold in the Samsung Shoot-out contest final.

It seemed it was a case of the younger the better as Kobe Paras - the youngest player in the men's tournament aged 16 years and 11 days - dominated the Honda Dunk contest final.

The son of a legendary Filipino basketball player turned actor, the 1.95m player showed amazing hops as he jumped over two players and skied over a motorcycle. The kid - who funnily enough branded his Twitter account @Im_Not_Kobe - showed he was more of a 'King James' fan nailing the LeBron James ritual practice dunk throwing the ball between his legs off the backboard, finishing reverse with authority.

There were plenty of dunks in the Honda dunk contest and even more during the games, especially with the introduction of a new rule allocating two points for a dunk, meaning dunks were worth as much as any shot from outside the arc.

Team USA's Cliff Alexander was the number 1 provider of highlights and you could hear his dunks from Java to Sumatra. At 2.04m, with explosive feet and a wingspan that seemed as long as the nearby 132-metre-high tower known as 'Monas', 'Thunder' instantly became a fan favourite and the rim's worst nightmare.

Team-mate Demonte Flannigan's throwdowns and the behind-the-back passes of Italy's Francesca Gambarini drew some oohs and aahs and the crowd erupted as Indonesia's men won their first and only game against Estonia.

It was a unique experience and perhaps a taste of future fame for the 3x3 rising stars - 56 teams from 38 countries - who finished the event together on the main court, posing for countless pictures with the local fans. Not even the new Miss World crowned on the same weekend in Indonesia seemed to be tagged as many times on Instagram as Czech Republic's Michaela Praskova.

The next step on the horizon for six of these teams - Argentina, France and Russia's men and USA, Estonia and Spain's women): the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China.

FIBA