Team USA primed and ready heading into Paris 2024 Olympics

PARIS (France) - Team USA Men’s and Women’s sides are ready for 3x3 action heading into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 30 - August 5. 

The American sides will be entering their respective competitions as medal contenders, with the women’s team looking to repeat their heroics from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics where they won Gold while the men’s team will be making their Olympic debut. 

Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard, Hailey Van Lith and Dearica Hamby round off the women’s side while Jimmer Fredette, Canyon Barry, Dylan Travis and Kareem Maddox make up the men’s. 

Speaking on how to build on-court chemistry in a short time, team veteran Burdick said, "We've been together for about a week and a half. So we need all the repetition and preparation that we can get.

"We take advantage of the time we have on the court and then when we're back at the hotel, we're watching a lot of films, trying to learn from our mistakes, and then applying those revisions the next time we step on the floor.

"Our motto is 'get better every single day'. We're maybe at a disadvantage in our lack of preparation time, but I think our ceiling is really high."

Van Lith spoke on the opportunity to represent the Nation, saying, "The Olympics and playing for Team USA is the ultimate experience. If they think I'm worthy of playing for the national team, that says a lot."

The TCU star has been pivotal to the team’s success in the pro circuit and their automatic qualification to the Paris Olympics. Reflecting on her journey so far, Van Lith spoke on the influence of USA legend Kobe Bryant. 

"Even after his passing, he's continually showed up for me in moments when I needed to hear from him.

"Any time I start to doubt where I'm at or what I'm doing, I am reminded of Kobe's undeniable desire to play and be great. He saw some of himself in me, so that's an honor.

"I'm just gonna do my best to be authentic to myself because that's exactly what he would want me to do."

Former NBA star Jimmer Fredette has been talismanic for team USA over the past couple seasons, playing a key role in their journey to Paris. Speaking on how he got into 3x3 in the first place, he credited United States basketball commentator Fran Fraschilla.

"The pitch was 'you have a chance to be an Olympian'. That was his pitch. 

"I thought it would be a good fit for me with my game and how I play. As soon as I heard 'Olympics', I was like, 'I'm gonna at least try it and see if I like it'."

Jimmer continued, speaking on what it means to compete in the Olympics, saying, "(My dream) never really was to be an Olympian for basketball. I mean, those are pretty lofty expectations, right? You have to be one of the 12 best Americans to be able to play in the 5x5 team, and when you think about it growing up, it was the 'Dream Team' and the 'Redeem Team' and you're like, 'I don't know if I'm gonna make it there'.

"I was thrilled to have the opportunity to try to make it and now that it's a reality, it's obviously a dream come true."

It hasn’t been quite the straightforward path for the American men’s side. Coming ever so close to qualifying in the sport’s debut in Tokyo in 2021, their eventual success this time around means just that touch more. 

Canyon Barry, who has been part of the process since the last time out, said, “Obviously 2020 was tough. Many Olympic athletes and athletes in general know that struggle of setting a goal and trying to achieve something and coming (up) short.

"It feels great to have that full-circle moment where you're able to refocus and say, 'you know what, I'm gonna give it one more go in 2024'. And then to achieve that Olympic dream and now to be able to compete alongside each other, it's an absolute honor, and we're excited to try to bring that gold medal home."

The history of basketball is rich when it comes to the United States, and they’ll be out to continue on that path come game time, July 30 - August 5.