Brezovica players pose with Qatar Basketball Federation President Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and FIBA chief Yvan Mainini after winning the 3x3 FIBA All-Stars at the Katara Beach yesterday. At extreme right is QBF Secretary-General Mohamed Ali al-Hobesh.
Team Brezovica from Slovenia won the inaugural FIBA 3x3 All-Stars in Doha with a gritty 12-9 victory over Serbia’s Team Novi Sad at Katara beach last evening.
With the crisp winter air energising the crowd and the festive surroundings of Qatar’s cultural hub providing for a perfect setting, the Slovenians proved too good tactically for their rivals as the took home the winners’ trophy and the $25,000 prize that went with it.
Qatar, who also took part in the tournament, failed to make it to the final after falling to Novi Sad 13-12 in a pulsating semi-final, while Brezovica thrashed Caracas 20-11. Nagoya and Barcelona failed to make the last 4.
There was very little to differentiate physically between the two teams but Brezovica proved superior with their strategy. They succeeded in keeping the ball to themselves most of the time allowing their rivals very little leeway.
Of course the fact that kept their nose ahead always helped. Powered by the 40-year-old Ales Kunc, Brezovica took a 4-2 lead in the opening minutes. A fine shot by Novi Sad star Dusan Bulut reduced the deficit to one point, but Kunc was in his element as he found the target a couple of times to help Brezovica take a 6-3 cushion.
From then on it was the Slovenians who dictated terms as the virtually locked out the Serbians.
With just four minutes remaining for the match to end, Brezovica had taken a 10-5 lead, but Bulut, the world’s top-ranked 3x3 player until he was dethroned by Brezovica’s Blaz Cresnar yesterday, produced a magnificent two-point effort with two and a half minutes to go to give his team some hope of a recovery.
Brezovica conceded another point, but with one minute and three seconds remaining, Kunc came up with a fine effort as his team led 11-8.
Novi Sad, however, missed a couple of easy shots as time ticked by as Brezovica passed the ball among themselves to eventually seal victory.
“It was a great atmosphere at the venue. It was great to play before so many excited kids,” Kunc told reporters later.
“We look forward to coming back next year.”
Novi Sad’s Bulut was disappointed after failing to get going in the final.
“We missed several chances which helped Brezovica,” said Bulut. “However it was a great experience to play in Qatar for the first time.”
Qatar captain Yasin Musa said the fact that his team were playing outdoors for the first time had an impact on their performance.
“But it was a great experience for us,” the retied Qatar international said. “But we still proved we can compete with the best. In the semi-final we were unlucky,” he added.
Spectators, a majority of whom were children, were treated to a thrilling dunking competition which was won by Latvia’s Kristaps Dargais. He took home $7,000.
The Face Team from Budapest also put on a gravity-defying show, bouncing off a springboard and producing trick-shots that even the best of professional players would struggle to come up with. At one point two members of the team leapt into the air and perched themselves on the hoop drawing gasps from the spectators.