Ireland battle strongly against Olympic champions at FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup

It was not to be for Ireland in the face of a tough task at the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup this afternoon, going down to the last two Olympic champions Latvia and Netherlands in damp conditions in Copenhagen.

A 21-13 defeat to the current Olympic gold medallists the Netherlands in the second game of the day confirmed Ireland’s exit from the tournament, but head coach Darren McGovern will have seen enough in that performance to determine that the men’s 3x3 programme is on the right trajectory. 

A significant rain delay due to a leak in the roof at the outdoor arena in Ofelia Plads meant that Ireland had to wait until 3:50pm to get their tournament underway against the current number eight side in the world, Latvia. 

A nervy start from the boys in green was punished by accurate shooting from beyond the arc from Latvian marksman Rihards Kuksiks, who would finish the game with 11-points. Though Ireland responded with a Jordan Blount two-pointer and a driving layup from John Carroll, the early deficit left Ireland out of their comfort zone and proved too difficult to claw back against four of the best 3x3 basketball players in the world. 

Despite finding themselves in a tough position, green shoots came in the form of Sean Jenkins and Matt Treacy getting their names in the box score in the latter stages of a 21-7 mid-afternoon defeat.

Ireland needed to regather themselves ahead of their second outing and it’s fair to say Blount, Carroll, Jenkins and Treacy more than held their own in game two. All four players stood strong defensively, with Carroll and Treacy both finding their range with contested shots early.

Dutchman Dimeo van der Horst, playing his 582^nd game of his career, proved the difference though. The 34-year-old rolled back the years hitting a trifecta of shots from way downtown at a crucial stage in the contest. From being right in the mix, Ireland were now 14-7 in arrears.

The Irish quartet showed impressive resilience in not letting the game get away from them down the stretch. Jenkins showcased his nifty moves in the paint to find Carroll for a couple of easy baskets, while Matt Treacy had a nice show-and-go from the left corner which brought some cheers from the Irish fans in Denmark. 

Ultimately, it proved to be a second defeat of the day and early exit from the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup for Ireland, but plenty to ponder for the players and staff of the 3x3 programme going forward.  

Speaking in the aftermath, head coach Darren McGovern said: "I'm incredibly proud of the guys. Not the results we wanted, but we have to be realistic about the opposition. Latvia blew us away in the first game with their experience and quality of two-point shooting. We improved for the Netherlands game and competed at a higher level. Again the two-point shooting of the Netherlands team was difficult to keep up with.

We have learned more lessons today than we have in a long time. Competing with the top-12 in Europe at 3x3 level is never going to be easy nor was it expected to be. Hopefully the guys have shown the country we are not so far away from teams that play Olympic basketball and win gold."