LOS ANGELES – Senior Eric Dailey Jr. has been named by USA Basketball to the roster for the upcoming FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup, to take place from Sept. 15-19 in Wuhan, China.
Dailey Jr. helped lead the USA 3×3 Men’s Nations League team to a perfect 18-0 record in late June and early July this summer at a qualifying event for the upcoming World Cup. The men’s team that will compete next week in China includes two NCAA Division I players (including Dailey Jr.) and two professional players.
The USA 3×3 U23 Men’s National Team will be led by head coach Tavaras Hardy, who recently served as head coach of the USA 3×3 Men’s Nations League Team that finished in first place at the FIBA 3×3 Nations League Americas North Conference. In addition to Dailey Jr., the roster includes Mark Armstrong (professional player), Alex Fudge (professional player) and CJ Gunn (last played at DePaul).
Dailey Jr. and his American teammates amassed an 18-0 record over a week-long stretch in Chile, competing at the 3×3 Nations League Americas North Conference. Staged in Ñuñoa, Chile, the 3×3 circuit saw the United States men’s program post an 18-0 record while the United States’ women’s team went 16-1. Dailey Jr. and Gunn were teammates in Chile earlier this summer. Dailey Jr. has been a member of the USA Basketball family since 2019 and has gold medals from the 2021 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup and 2022 FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup.
The USA men will begin Pool D competition on Sept. 16 against Korea at 2:30 a.m. PT (5:30 a.m. ET), Argentina at 5 a.m. PT (8 a.m. ET) and China at 6:15 a.m. PT (9:15 a.m. ET). Pool play will conclude on Sept. 18 against Lithuania at 3:45 a.m. PT (6:45 a.m. ET).
Following pool play, the top two teams from each of the four five-team pools will advance to the quarterfinals on Sept. 19.
The 2026 FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup will stream live on YouTube.com/FIBA3x3.
Launched in 2018, the men’s and women’s FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup pits the best under-23 3×3 talent against one another to fight for a chance at winning gold. The 2026 edition will be the seventh event since its inception. The USA men are two-time 3×3 U23 medalists, taking gold in 2023 and silver in 2024.
The 3×3 game is played on a half court with a 10-minute clock and a 12-second shot clock. The first team to 21 points, or the team in the lead at the end of regulation, is the winner.
Dailey Jr. has played in 68 games for UCLA over the past two seasons, after having excelled as a freshman in 2023-24 at Oklahoma State. Entering the upcoming college season, Dailey Jr. has averaged 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in two seasons at UCLA. He will enter the 2026-27 season as one of six returning student-athletes for the Bruins.
Source link
