The 3x3 Big Hustle Uni Nationals was a year of firsts with University of the Sunshine Coast the first Queensland university to host this event. Additionally, this year's 3x3 Basketball competition also integrated the FISU Oceania qualifiers for the World University Cup for 3x3 Basketball which will be held in Xiamen, China in November. With this, the competition saw 42 Australian university teams attend the event and welcomed international teams; one team from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand), two teams from University of Waikato (New Zealand), and one team from Lincoln University (New Zealand).
New Zealand teams compete at 3x3 Big Hustle UniSport Nationals (left to right):
Lincoln University (LINC), The University of Canterbury (CANT), The University of Waikato (WAIK)
Melanie Schipp, Manager of UniSC Sport & Fitness, remarked at UniSC being the hosts for the competition.
“It’s been so special to be able to bring together 23 universities, particularly the teams from New Zealand, to play 3x3 basketball and showcase the beautiful Sunshine Coast. The atmosphere throughout the week was fantastic, perfectly run by 3x3 Hustle and UniSport to make the entire experience enjoyable.
We absolutely loved hosting the 3x3 Basketball Nationals this year and we’d love to see it back here at UniSC in the future.”
The competition started off with some exciting matchups as teams tested the waters against who were the team to beat. A nailbiter in the Men’s Division 1 competition between Macquarie University (MQU) and the University of Canterbury (CANT) set the bar high with each team going point for point. Meanwhile, the University of Waikato’s Women’s team led a strong performance winning 6 of their 7 pool games before finishing with a bronze medal in the Women’s Division 2 competition.
Following the match, we spoke to Mayako Taingahue from The University of Waikato (WAIK) who shared her experience at the inaugural integration of the 3x3 Basketball Nationals and FISU Oceania qualifiers.
“[The competition] has been a really great opportunity for us, especially coming from such a small university in New Zealand, to compete against some of the best university teams in Australia. We’ve had an amazing time and have played some of our best basketball all year. We’re super grateful for the warm welcome we received from the Aussie teams and just for the opportunity to be here.”
The University of Sydney women’s teams enjoyed a successful day, winning both the Div 1 and Div 2 2024 3x3 Big Hustle Uni National titles in empathic fashion. USyd Div 1 were undefeated enroute to their back-to-back 3x3 Basketball National Title.
In the Men’s competition, New Zealand's University of Canterbury achieved a significant victory by securing 1st place at the FISU Oceania qualifiers, outpacing the Australian teams. Meanwhile, Victoria University claimed the Division 2 title after a tightly contested final against the University of Sydney.
UniSport CEO, Mark Sinderberry extends his congratulations to the winning teams and praised all participants for their efforts over the past three days. “We hope every student-athlete had the opportunity to make new connections and most importantly, enjoyed themselves throughout the experience.”
“To have over 40 teams take part in the event, including our New Zealand University neighbours is very encouraging. To have the event at UniSC Stadium on the University of the Sunshine Coast campus brought a great vibe to the event and we thank UniSC Sport & Fitness for hosting the event” Sinderberry said.
“We wish The University of Sydney and University of Canterbury good luck as they compete at the FISU World University Cup later this year” he added.
2024 3x3 Basketball Champions (left to right): Division 1 Men - The University of Canterbury (CANT); Division 1 Women - The University of Sydney (USYD); Division 2 Men - Victoria University (VU); Division 2 Women - The University of Sydney (USYD).
Congratulations to the following teams on their medal winning performances:
Division 1 Men
Gold – The University of Canterbury (NZ)
Silver – The University of Sydney
Bronze – Macquarie University
Division 1 Women
Gold – The University of Sydney
Silver – La Trobe University
Bronze - Waikato University
Division 2 Men
Gold – Victoria University
Silver – The University of Sydney
Bronze – Macquarie University
Division 2 Women
Gold – The University of Sydney
Silver – University of the Sunshine Coast
Bronze – Monash University
For full results click here
At the closing ceremony the following individuals were awarded the Most Valuable Players
Men’s Division 1 – Zac Hannen (CANT)
Women’s Division 1 – Carla Pitman (USYD)
Congratulations to The University of Adelaide for winning the 3x3 Hustle University Spirit Award.
Zac Hannen (CANT) & Carla Pitman (USYD) as Most Valuable Players (left), The University of Adelaide as Spirit of the Sport Winners (right)
UniSport wishes to congratulate all athletes that competed and thanks 3x3 Hustle, University of the Sunshine Coast, and UniSC Sport and Fitness for their support in delivering a successful competition.
About UniSport
UniSport Australia (UniSport) is the peak body for university sport in Australia. 43 universities are members of UniSport, representing a population of over one million students. UniSport’s ambition is to become an integral partner to Australian universities and to deliver an outstanding student experience at our national intervarsity competitions.
More information on UniSport: www.unisport.com.au
For more information please contact:
Dylan Le
Nationals Championships Lead
Mobile: 0452 546 647
Email: dylan.le@unisport.com.au