The short-sided, half-court version of the sport has been on the rise across the nation with the expanded Ball Out Tour exposing more players than ever to the all-action format.
Other established domestic events such as GG3x3 and Bridport 3x3 played their part too, adding into what has been an exciting few months.
On top of that, Great Britain – in collaboration with Basketball England – made their presence felt like never before on the international stage, taking part in the Europe Cup and sending U23 teams to the Nations League.
It all adds up to ranking points – national federation, team and individual recognition for taking part and, more importantly, winning.
And everybody participating in FIBA 3x3 sanctioned events, from grass roots tournaments to international competition, plays their part, with individual and event points contributing to national federation ranking.
With GB’s European adventures - the senior women qualified for the recent Finals in Paris - as well as the raft of domestic events that took place, the national federation’s 3x3 ranking improved significantly this year.
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GB has leapt from 68th in the world to 33rd. The GB men are now 26th in Europe (41st in the world) and the women are up to 19th (29th in the world).
So, who are top-ranked players in the country after this unprecedented flurry of activity?
GB Senior Men and Women won games at the highly-ranked Europe Cup - with the women progressing to Paris - but players from both teams have, to date, still only played only a handful of top-level games.
Some of GB’s U23 personnel, however, played in six multi-game stops of the Nations League – also a high-ranking event – and topped up their points totals at various Ball Out events, including the finals.
It means young gun Evan Walshe is the highest-ranking male Brit in the world list.
His 56,535 points put him 286th in the world (77th on the U23s list), with GB U23 teammates Veron Eze (world 246, U23 86), Eljay Morris (world 297, U23 86), Flynn Boardman-Raffet (world 498, U23 143) and Tosan Evbuomuan (world 618, U23 170) making up the rest of the top five.
Veteran 3x3 ace Tarryn Algar, one of the country’s long-term exponents of the format, is the ninth-ranked British male.
Click the red button below and filter on 'Great Britain - search players by nationality' to see the male and female senior, U23 and U18 rankings.
The top-ranked British female in the world is Loren Christie with 26,971 points putting her 602nd in the world and 71st in the global U23 ranks.
Her U23 teammates Paige Robinson-Miller (world 662, U23 75), Katie Bennett (world 632, U23 140), Abbie Lowe (world 1017, U23 135) and Ebony Horton (world 1798, U23 176) are close behind in the British top five.
Senior star Temi Fagbenle is sixth on the Brits list with Shequila Joseph, Cheridene Green and Shanice Norton, seventh, eighth and ninth respectively, showing that, despite the impressive feat of reaching the Europe Cup Finals, more playing opportunities are required for the nation’s top players to boost the federation ranking further.
The highest ranked Brits in the world U18 rankings are there based on their exploits at this summer’s Ball Out events and other domestic tournaments.
The top male is 15-year-old Joe Ritson, with teammates James Price (16) and Ben Ritson (15), close behind. Their 3x3 journey through various Ball Out and Welsh events is charted here and shows how points can be racked up by playing multiple events.
Alice Matthews is top-ranked Brit on the U18 women’s world list with Fatmata Janneh and Grace Strickland joining her in the top three.
GB’s 3x3 focus is on the 2024 Olympics, while Team England’s initial 3x3 target is the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
To keep the ranking momentum heading in the right direction and for the British players to keep improving in a format where the nation has little experience compared to rivals, playing in tournaments is vital.
Team England Talent lead Steve Bucknall knows that is a simple truth.
Watch this space.
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