Ellis, Leonard And Smith Selected To Compete At USA 3x3 National Tournament

Makenzie Ellis

Photo by: Sean Kent

Ellis, Leonard And Smith Selected To Compete At USA 3x3 National Tournament

March 23, 2017 | Women's Basketball

By: Andy Schlichting, Assistant SID

COLORADO SPRINGS - Three Colorado women's basketball players have been selected to compete at the USA Basketball 3x3 National Tournament. Makenzie Ellis, Kennedy Leonard and Haley Smith will all play together on a team. A fourth player may be added to the roster prior to the start of the tournament.

Ellis, a 6-2 sophomore, is averaging 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds. She's also shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range and adding 1.2 steals per game.

Leonard, a 5-8 sophomore for the Buffs, was named first-team all-Pac-12 this season. She is currently averaging 17.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals, ranking among the top four in the conference in scoring, assists, steals and assist/turnover ratio (1.97).

Smith, a 6-1 senior, is averaging 10.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals. She also shoots 37.6 percent from the outside and was named honorable mention all-Pac-12.

The trio will be competing as part of a pilot program across the country to increase the number of women competing in 3-on-3. USA Basketball invited teams from the Pac-12 the compete in the tournament and California, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Southern California, Washington and Washington State all agreed to participate.

The Pac-12 teams will be competing in the open division, which will feature between eight and 12 teams. The division will be split into two groups for preliminary-round play on April 8 and the championship round will be completed on April 9 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Under FIBA's 3x3 rules, each game consists of one 10-minute period. The team leading at the end of that period, or the first team to 21 points wins. Shots inside the 3-point line are worth one point and shots from beyond the arc are worth two points. Free throws are also worth one point. A 12-second shot clock will also be utilized. If the game ends in a tie, the first team to score two points in overtime wins.

CU head coach JR Payne believes it's a great opportunity for players to develop their basketball skills and instincts.

"3-on-3 basketball is very different, as far as the skill set that's required. The determination to defend multiple positions and do different things is really a great stretch for our players," Payne said. "The [most important asset for players] I think is versatility. You have to be able to take advantage of a mismatch, you have to be able to defend different positions, and have a better understanding of spacing and timing."

Carol Callan, who is CU's radio analyst and the women's national team director for USA Basketball, is excited for the future of 3-on-3 basketball and what the Pac-12's participation in the tournament could mean.

"We're looking at piloting with the Pac-12 to see if colleges embrace it, perhaps expanding it in the future when we do have a chance to go on to the World Cup or on to the Olympics [if it is added as an Olympics sport in the future], and see if there is a way we can engage all of the conferences in women's basketball to send us teams," Callan said.

Callan, like Payne, also sees benefits for participants to become better all-around basketball players.

"You do need to be able to play all positions," Callan said. "You need to have a little bit of size, but also versatility with movement because you're going to have to defend inside and out. The lane is bigger, the 3-point line is further back, the 3-point shot is valued more because it's two [points] versus a regular shot being one. You've got to defend that, but it's not always necessarily a good idea to take it because it's further back. The 12-second shot clock I think is the thing that's really interesting. You've got to make decisions quickly. You can't decide what am I going to do next. You just innately have to know what to do next and I think it's a great thing for players to develop."

CU will play at Iowa tonight at 6 p.m. in the third round of the WNIT.