Ireland’s 3x3 men’s basketball team have made history - qualifying for the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup for the first time.
They secured their spot at the finals - which take place in Copenhagen in September – defeating Cyprus 21-19 to win a two-day qualifying event in Kosovo. Ireland had previously beaten Albania and the hosts on Sunday to make the final.
Taiwo Badmus held his nerve to make the game winning shot against the side who handed them their only defeat in the group phase on Saturday, bringing an end to the race 21-points under the lights in Prishtina.
The result is a place for Badmus, Sean Flood, Jordan Blount and Matt Treacy alongside Olympic gold and silver medallists France and Netherlands, bronze winners Latvia, as well as Serbia and hosts Denmark and six other qualifiers on the biggest stage of European basketball.
Jordan Blount opened the scoring in this 10-minute sprint with a driving lay-up just over 90 seconds to give Ireland a 1-0 lead. Cyprus – who have qualified for the finals in the previous two seasons – showed their quality to rally off two quick shots and give themselves a 3-1 lead moments later, as both sets of players found their rhythm.
The sides remained deadlocked – 10-10 at the midway point. Blount, Badmus and Flood all taking turns to attack the basket inside, before Matt Treacy hit a critical two-point shot from beyond the arc with Ireland 9-7 in arrears and shift momentum back in favour of the boys in green.
Treacy – who hit the game winning shot over Albania on Saturday – again came up clutch when Ireland found themselves 14-12 in arrears with just 3:15 left on the clock. The Tolka Rovers product, who spent last season in Iceland, manifested some ice in his veins at the free-throw line to make back-to-back shots and drag Ireland back to level terms.
The 26-year-old followed up with his second two-point shot on the next possession and when Ireland captain Sean Flood drained his first shot from downtown following a turnover, suddenly it was Ireland who held the advantage, 18-15 and 2:38 remaining.
Cyprus wouldn’t go down without a fight though, showing clutch mentality of their own to get the next three scores through Panagiotis Markou and Georgios Tretiakov and it became apparent Ireland would need to reach the game ending quota of 21-points to book their place in Copenhagen.
They managed to do just that.
Taiwo Badmus, another Irishman playing professionally in Iceland, got to work in the paint to make a one-point dunk, before leaving his defender on the ground moments later to nail the game winning jump shot and send the Irish bench into jubilation.
“I think what we went through yesterday laid the foundations for getting the win today,” said Ireland’s Sean Flood afterwards. “Losing out to Cyprus in a one-possession game in the group phase was tough, but that was a real learning process that we were able to take into today.”
“We knew it was going to take a couple of games for us to gel together in this quicker format, so we wanted to make sure those group games yesterday set us up perfectly for today because our practice time together was very limited,” added Flood.
“What it shows is the talent that is there in Irish basketball, not only the four that are here, but those coming behind us and hopefully this result is a big step for the group.”
Ireland Squad: Taiwo Badmus, Jordan Blount, Sean Flood, Matt Treacy
FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup Qualifier Final
Ireland 21-19 Cyprus
