Hailey Van Lith and Cameron Brink will be reunited as Team USA embarks on its quest for another gold medal in 3X3 basketball at the Paris Olympics in just a few short months. They are in a great position to contend for the top spot after a dominant showing during each of their last two tournaments together.
This competition will happen right in the middle of the WNBA season.
Brink and Van Lith played represented the stars and stripes at the 3X3 FIBA World Cup last year and brought home a world championship. The latter was so lit during their celebration that she broke her medal!
Now, exactly one year later, the dynamic duo was announced as part of the Olympic squad. They threw a block party and put on a masterclass at the 3X3 W Series back in April.
Brink is eight games into her rookie seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks after being drafted No. 2 overall. She was a star at Stanford and has tangible experience with Team USA in 3X3.
With the Olympics falling when it does, the WNBA will put its season on hold from the middle of July to the middle of August. The Paris 2024 Olympics are set for July 26-Aug. 11, with the 3×3 basketball competition set for July 30-Aug. 5 at Place de la Concorde.
Two teams of three, with one sub each, compete in a half-court game. First team to 21 points wins, with each two-point make counting as one and each three-point make counting as two. There is no break after scoring, no halftime and no quarters.
Van Lith joins the team after a wild 18 months. She transferred from Louisville to LSU, won a gold medal at the 3X3 World Cup, had an up-and-down year with the Tigers, got cooked by Caitlin Clark in the NCAA Tournament, and transferred from LSU to TCU. This Olympic competition will take place right before summer workouts begin down in Fort Worth.
Cameron Brink and Hailey Van Lith will play alongside Rhyne Howard and Cierra Burdick.
Howard starred at Kentucky before becoming one of the best scorers in the WNBA. She was the No. 1 overall pick in 2022 by the Atlanta Dream.
Burdick is the oldest player on the team at 30 years of age. She is a 3X3 veteran who played a few years with the Dream, Liberty, Stars/Aces, Mercury, Lynx and Storm after being drafted No. 14 overall in the 2015 WNBA Draft.
Jennifer Rizzotti, president of the Connecticut Sun, will coach the team.
I say this all the time but there is no greater privilege than to represent the USA at the Olympics. We understand that challenge in front of us as we face tremendous talent and experienced 3×3 teams. I am confident this roster gives us what we need to compete for another gold medal with experience, versatility and a commitment to USA Basketball excellence. I cannot wait to get started.
— Jennifer Rizzotti
If Team USA does not leave Paris with at least a silver medal, it will be a letdown. This team expects gold!