COLUMBUS, Ohio — Three-on-three basketball is one of the many sports that will be at the Tokyo Olympics, and it’s gaining popularity in Ohio.
Cordaryl Ballard is the owner of the BRICK League, a 3-on-3 pro-am basketball league in Columbus.
“I love it,” said Ballard. “It’s much more of a faster pace and it takes a lot more IQ.”
In 3-on-3, there’s a 10-minute game clock and a 12-second shot clock. Instead of two- and three-point baskets, it’s scored by ones and twos. The sport is played on half court and the winner is the first to score 21 points, or the leader after 10-minutes of regulation.
“The way this 3-on-3 is played, if you don’t have a strategy or if you’re not communicating, you’re probably going to end up losing the game,” said Ballard.
This weekend, the Red Bull 3X tournament is being held at the Rike Center at Otterbein University. It’s the first of 20 tournaments that will happen around the state.
“Our goal is just to win it and go to regionals, win go to nationals, win that, just win game by game keep winning and hopefully we can win it all,” said Ballard.
Ballard and his team won the 2019 event in Cleveland. He said the exposure is big for players hoping to make it to the international level.
“I think with it being new and a lot of players, if you play it the right way and if you learn the rules and master the rules you’ll have a good shot at playing at another level,” he said.
The Red Bull 3x is open to spectators. The women’s division starts Saturday at 8:30 a.m. and the men start Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
