Q&A with the U.S. Pan American Games Women’s 3-on-3 Team
Editor’s note: This transcription has been edited for length and clarity. The interviews were conducted independently, and the responses were combined for the article.
Appearing everywhere from BIG3 to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 3-on-3 basketball’s growing popularity is hard to miss. Featuring a 12-second shot clock and an end point of either 21 points or 10 minutes, the game’s rules encourage a faster pace of play, creating an exciting version of the already-enjoyable game.
In July, the Pan American Games, held in Lima, Peru, featured the sport for the first time. After claiming the gold medal, Team USA’s Ruthy Hebard, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Christyn Williams caught up with Her Hoop Stats to talk about their experience.
Her Hoop Stats: For starters, could you take me through your experience at the Pan American Games?
Ruthy Hebard: It was cool to see everybody at one place and people from all over the place. Of course, winning always makes it fun, and playing with a great group of girls … [and] being able to travel and meet other people on different teams was so fun for me.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa: Playing against such elite level of players, international players especially — it was a big difference from the States. The physicality was one of the biggest things I noticed. Everybody there was physical. The refs don’t call what you would expect they’d call.
Christyn Williams: The experience was crazy. I played on USA Basketball before, but this was different because there were so many different countries, and it was [a variety of] sports. It was kind of like the actual Olympics. … If I can do Pan American Games again, I would definitely do it. I think a lot of players should experience it.
HHS: What is it like playing 3-on-3 basketball at such a high level? This wasn’t available just 10 years ago.
RH: It was fun. Internationally it’s more popular because some of the ladies there play all year round or all summer. They’ve been to large tournaments. USA is pretty new [to the competition]. It was a good opportunity, and hopefully 3-on-3 continues to expand because it’s really fun and a great game to play.
ONO: The pace is definitely quicker than 5-on-5, so you have to think quicker. You have to do things at a certain intensity that you wouldn’t necessarily have to do on 5-on-5. And I think that’s what makes the game even more fun. You don’t have time to think about certain things. You just have to read and react.
CW: It’s still basketball, but it’s a lot different. It’s a different kind of conditioning. … Your team chemistry is very important because there are only four of you guys. And you don’t have a coach during the game, so you have to have players that know what they’re doing. All four of them have to be leaders.
HHS: Players often talk about the impact that competing for Team USA has on their development. Was the impact different because of the differences in the rules and style?
RH: The plays are a little different because there are only three people [on the floor], so we had [different] strategies. Other than that, I thought it was about the same.
ONO: I’m a tall person. [In 3-on-3] I’m always gonna get switched on somebody who’s more likely shorter than me, so I had to be able to guard people one-on-one. You also have to be able to take people one-on-one on offense. The ability to switch back and forth so quickly in that game between offense and defense, and having to work on all those skills [should] carry over to 5-on-5.
CW: Once you go full-court [after playing 3-on-3], it makes you pay attention to detail that you wouldn’t have paid attention to before. Just like ball screens, how to defend it — because on 3-on-3, there is no help side.
HHS: New Boston Celtics assistant coach Kara Lawson advised the team for this event. What was it like working with her?
RH: I love her. … You learn a lot from her every time. She’s super competitive, and she really cares about you. And she loves the game. Seeing her passion for it, seeing her cheer for you, really taking time to tell you, ‘Oh, you can do this,’ and give you confidence and tips — it just makes you feel valued and want to play for her. She’ll give a 100% for us, so we’ll give her a 100% back.
ONO: She’s an incredible coach. I learned so much playing under her. She has such great insight. She helped us a lot, especially the things we had to focus on. She has a very competitive edge that helped our game, and just to be able to learn under her and listen to what she has for us, it was really good.
CW: I loved it. Kara was my coach in 2017 too, so we’ve had a relationship since then. I learn so much every time she’s my coach, and I love that. [I think she’s a great coach because] she’s been there before. She was a player. Any coach that has played before can understand [the players] on a different level. I think that’s the biggest thing.
HHS: Where do you see this competition headed?
RH: I think it’s going to be big. … There are so many good players, and I think especially for women’s basketball, having a 3-on-3 team would be great. We’ll see where it goes. I hope it gets bigger and bigger and bigger — and that we keep winning and having fun.
ONO: I definitely see it rising. More and more players are playing it. There are more tournaments and events available. I think on the international aspect, there are so many more players that are getting interested in it because it’s also different form the typical 5-on-5. … I think it’s only gonna go up from here.
CW: It’s going to be in the Olympics, so that’s a big deal. I can’t imagine where it’s going to be two years from now. If you have players like me, Sabrina [Ionescu], Liv and Ruthy continue playing in the 3-on-3, I guess more people will know about it. It has no other choice but to grow.
HHS: And just as a fun question to end the interview, who would you pick on your 3-on-3 Dream Team?
RH: The dream one I would want to play with is Sabrina, me, Diana Taurasi and A’ja Wilson. And then men? Steph Curry, Giannis [Antetokounmpo], Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins.
ONO: For the women, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Brittney Griner. And for the men, LeBron, Kyrie, KD and James Harden.
CW: Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart and Sylvia Fowles. For the men, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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