The University of Sydney Crowned Back-to-Back 3×3 Basketball Champions at the 2024 Nationals

The 3×3 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 3×3 Basketball competition also integrated the FISU Oceania qualifiers for the World University Cup for 3×3 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 3×3 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 3×3 basketball and showcase the beautiful Sunshine Coast. The atmosphere throughout the week was fantastic, perfectly run by 3×3 Hustle and UniSport to make the entire experience enjoyable.

We absolutely loved hosting the 3×3 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 3×3 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 3×3 Big Hustle Uni National titles in empathic fashion. USyd Div 1 were undefeated enroute to their back-to-back 3×3 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 3×3 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 3×3 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 3×3 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