ANTWERP (Belgium) – Noortje Driessen of the Netherlands capped a dominant FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup Crelan 2026 campaign by being named the Most Valuable Player after leading the Dutch women to back-to-back European titles.

Driessen was the driving force behind the Netherlands’ successful title defense, leading the entire tournament in both scoring and player value as the Dutch once again claimed continental supremacy.

The Netherlands star finished with a tournament-best 44 points and 50.7 player value, while also topping the competition in highlights (19), free throws made (11) and drives (16).

Her all-around dominance proved crucial as the Netherlands navigated the pressure of defending their FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup 2025 crown and ultimately returned to the top of preoverbial the European podium.

Driessen’s consistency and ability to create in a variety of ways made her one of the defining players of the tournament, with her performances providing the spark the Dutch needed throughout their run.

After completing the title defense, Driessen credited the team’s collective work and chemistry for their success.

“We had a really good summer. Last year, we won the gold medal, and I think that’s just our main goal for this tournament because we know what we can do,” Driessen said. “We practice so much together. We all have our own role. Every player on this team is so talented. With the hard work we put in, it’s going pretty good.”

Driessen was joined in the Women’s Team of the Tournament by Spain’s Txell Alarcón and Azerbaijan’s Brianna Fraser, who played key roles in guiding their nations to podium finishes.

For Driessen, the MVP honor provides the perfect individual recognition for a tournament in which she combined elite production with the ultimate team achievement: another Europe Cup gold medal.

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Want to learn more about 3×3 basketball? Explore the official FIBA 3×3 Rules to understand the unique fast-paced format of the game, or discover the FIBA 3×3 Competition Structure to see how the discipline’s global pathway connects grassroots events, professional tours and world-class international competitions.

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The advantage the Dutch built early 

The Netherlands’ success in 3×3 did not begin with Olympic gold in Paris.

The men were already World Cup runners-up in 2017 and 2018, and won Europe Cup bronze in 2016 and 2022. As mentioned above, the women are two-time Europe Cup winners (2023, 2025), World Cup champions in 2025 and bronze medallists in 2026.

So how did a nation traditionally associated with football, hockey, and winter sports build such a formidable 3×3 program?

For Jan, the explanation is fairly simple: the Netherlands committed early.

“Of course, in 5×5 we were never a top team, and we managed to do it in 3×3,” he says. “We started really early with investing in 3×3. We saw the potential as a country. We had some players who really did everything for basketball — we had the first players who went full-time, when [professional 3×3] wasn’t a thing. Back in the day everyone played 5×5, and in the summer they did 3×3. We had guys who went professional as one of the first, and then you build an advantage. You gain [tactical] advantages over your opponents.

“And I think we kept that. There’s a really big structure, a professional organisation with good coaches, strength and conditioning coaches — everything is there. If you believe in something, and you spend time on it, you spend money on it, then you can achieve World Championships and Olympic championships.”