I want to come to Hongcheon again next year!"

Princeton beat Puerto Rico's San Juan 21-18 in the final of the NH Nonghyup Bank FIBA 3x3 Hongcheon Challenger 2024 held at a special court in Hongcheon Tori Forest City Forest Park in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon State on the 12th. A total of 16 3x3 teams from around the world participated in the competition to stage fierce competition. World renowned powerhouses such as San Juan (Puerto Rico), the U.S. (Princeton), Latvia (Adaji), the Netherlands (Wiederrecht), and Germany (Dusseldorf) participated in the competition.

It is the only international 3x3 basketball tournament to be held in Korea this year, adding to the interest. A total of four Korean teams participated, including Seoul, Busan All-One Bank, Hamo Jinju and Yesan Hanul, but all of them failed to advance to the quarterfinals.

The U.S. team consists of Damon Huffman (38, 186 centimeters), Riley Grigsby (24, 198 centimeters), Austin Butler (25, 195 centimeters), and Henry Caruso (28, 198 centimeters). Huffman won the 3x3 World Cup as a member of the U.S. national team in 2019. Butler represented the U.S. in the 2023 3x3 Nations League. Princeton won the runner-up prize in the Lee Chang-challenger 2023 and the Baoding Challenger.

In the final, Princeton showed an extraordinary scene in which it beat San Juan, the higher ranking. After a 3-0 run from the beginning, Princeton gained the upper hand. It concluded the game with two outsides shots that were fired at critical moments. Henry Caruso, who showed good performance with six points and eight rebounds in the final, was named MVP of the competition.

Caruso met after winning the title, saying, "It was a tough game. I'm so happy to come all the way from the U.S. to Korea for a few days and win the championship. It's a huge honor to win the MVP award. It's a great honor for the whole team. I want to thank my teammates. They passed me and put me on the screen, so I had the opportunity to score a goal. That's why my team was able to win."

He also kept his courtesy toward the higher-ranked opponents. Caruso said, "San Juan is a very good team. He has played a lot of 3-on-3 matches recently. He is a team that has come all the way to Korea and is preparing for the Olympics. I respect him. We got off to a good start in the final. We made a good two-point shot. That's why we were able to win."

U.S. players had food poisoning the previous day, and even visited the hospital. Caruso said, "I didn't feel well yesterday, so I couldn't play the second game at all. I had a stomachache. So the three players went to the hospital and got better. I am okay now because I won the championship."

The U.S. team, which pursues the Princeton University-style moving offense, has set an example for other teams with its selfless moves. Caruso said, "Princeton is the name of a neighborhood in New Jersey. There is the godfather who started playing three-to-three basketball at Princeton. He named his team Princeton in the sense of continuing his fame. "I'm from Princeton. John Rogers, our sponsor, is also from Princeton." 토토사이트

Princeton Moving Offence is a tactic designed for a small team to beat a large team. Active movement is very emphasized when there are no balls. Since you have to move constantly, it consumes a lot of physical strength and breathing between your colleagues is important.

Caruso said, "That's right. We play moving offensives. We shoot a lot of outfield shots and look for layup chances. We also shoot a lot of backdoor shots. We also aim for two points through handoff without dribbling. We all pass together and play Princeton-style basketball."

I made good memories in Korea. Caruso said, "I had Korean barbecue with my colleagues and it was very delicious. The Korean people were very friendly throughout the competition and they helped me focus on the games. Thank you. Now I am going back to the U.S. It is a short journey. There are next competitions. I want to come back to Hongcheon again next year," thanking officials at the Hongcheon Challenger.