After starting the 3×3 preparation on Wednesday 27th April, Luxembourg was invited to participate in the D.Sports 3×3 Prime Düsseldorf International only a few days later (30th April).
A total of 12 teams from 10 different countries competed in this high-level tournament with the possibility to win a ticket to the Novisad Challenger in June. Among the participating teams were several top 30 teams in the FIBA World Ranking with Team Antwerp (2nd FIBA World Ranking) being the highest ranked team, as well as several players that competed in the Tokyo Olympics.
Team Luxembourg, represented by Sam Ferreira, Scott Morton, Vic Heuschling and Denilson Ramos Fonseca, played two games in their group (Pool D) against Vilnius (13th FIBA World Ranking) and Vienna (12th FIBA World Ranking). The first two teams of each of the four pools would qualify to the quarterfinals.
In the first game, Luxembourg showed a good performance against the team from Vilnius, Lithuania. Although the clear underdog and without any prior tournament experience, Luxembourg was able to stay in the game until late. Especially Sam Ferreira was able to show off a few nice post moves and dunks on offense. In the end however, Vilnius was too strong and won the game 21-15.
In the second game, another very experienced team was waiting for our men. Vienna started the game with hot shooting from outside the arc and a very aggressive defense that hindered Luxembourg from getting into an offensive rhythm. The game ended 22-8.
The team finished 11th out of 12 teams. Vilnius finished 4th and Vienna 5th, while the hosts Düsseldorf LFDY won the tournament.
Overall the participation in this tournament was a valuable experience for our players. It showed that they are able to compete and was a good indicator of areas that need work. The Luxembourg 3×3 Men will continue their preparation for the FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup Qualifiers (4-5th June) over the next weeks and participate in several more tournaments.
