Latvia beat Team USA 19-17 in the quarterfinals of the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup on Saturday in Wuhan, China, ending Eric Dailey Jr.’s run at a fourth gold medal. The UCLA senior forward, who averaged 11.6 points and a team-leading 5.8 rebounds last season, was one of four Americans on the roster.
Team USA qualified by going 18-0 at the Nations League Americas North in Ñuñoa, Chile in July. They came in as two-time medalists at this event, gold in 2023 and silver in 2024, with Tavaras Hardy coaching.
The Americans went 2-2 in Pool D and reached the quarterfinals, opening with a 21-14 win over Argentina, losing to Korea 21-14, beating China 21-17 and losing to Lithuania 21-14.
Alex Fudge went down with a knee injury after the opener and Team USA finished the tournament with three healthy players while most of the field had four. Dailey took every rep of the last four games. 3×3 runs on a 12-second shot clock with almost no stoppages, and one more player to rotate in makes a huge difference. Both pool days were doubleheaders, with about two and a half hours between games.
Dailey finished with 28 points and 21 rebounds over five games. Games go to 21 points in the 3×3 format, and he had 8 in the opener against Argentina.
Dailey is down 10 pounds and weighs 224. He spent two weeks in China focused on his diet, drinking tons of water and training. He returns to Westwood in time for fall camp lighter, sharper and coming off live reps against international competition.
Dailey is in midseason form, and I expect an all conference type season at the four for the Bruins.
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