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At the Rathausplatz in the Austrian capital Vienna, the 3X3 Lions were eliminated in the Play-In and at the World Cup by Olympic champion Latvia. So no quarterfinals and that is quite a draw for the ambitious 3X3 project.
Patrick Ceulemans
It was clear that it would not be obvious for the Belgian 3X3 team, number 6 in the world, against Olympic champion Latvia (FIBA 7). After the 0-1 Belgian bonus it immediately went via Karlis Lasmanis (13 points) to a 9-1 Latvian lead. Latvia defended tightly, but in the end the 3X3 Lions got loose and it went through Dennis “The Menace Donkor” and Thibaut “Must See TV” Vervoort after 11-4 to a 15-10 score. At 17-15 the connection was a fact, but in the final phase Latvia secured the win (19-15) and qualification for the quarter finals at this World Cup. Thibaut Vervoort scored 9 and Dennis Donkor 5 points. The World Cup was immediately over for the 3X3 Lions.
Thibaut Vervoort is now again looking for success in the World Tour and Challengers with his Chinese team Futian. Team Antwerp will also compete in the World Tour and Challengers. It is important for Belgium that they are successful. After all, the individual points of the players count for the country ranking. The 3X3 Lions also have two more championships in 2023. First there are the European Games in Krakow (June 21-July 2) and then the European Championship from September 5 to 7 in Jerusalem, Israel. It is clear that the road to a second Olympic Games (Paris 2024) will be a hard one. Competition in one of the fastest growing sports in the world is on the rise. The BOIC also announced the names for the European Games in Krakow. The same foursome, Caspar Augustijnen, Dennis Donkor, Thibaut Vervoort and Bryan De Valck, will travel to Poland later this month.