Basektball: Under-18 Boys, Girls qualify for 3x3 World Cup, Asia Cup

Newly introduced in Sri Lanka, 3x3 Basketball is going great guns, as the Sri Lanka Under (U)-18 Boys and Girls teams have qualified to play in the 2019 3x3 World Cup and 3x3 Asia Cup championships. 

Sri Lanka beat Japan and Egypt for the 1st time in the history of the game and qualified for the Knockout stage of the Asian Championships, and participation in the 2018 Youth Olympics are some of the notable achievements of our Cagers in the short space of time since the game was introduced to the country. 

The eligibility of a country to compete on the World stage is determined by the International Basketball Federation Ranking points. 

The Sri Lanka Basketball Federation has introduced 3x3 Open pickup games to sustain the Federation rankings, while more tournaments like Open games give the top 100 players additional experience to enable them compete internationally. 

The Sri Lanka Basketball Federation (SLBF) plans to play tournaments throughout the year with the participation of 100 locally ranked players. 

Outstanding 3x3 players will have to participate in the tournaments to improve their individual rankings. 

This will open a window for the players to climb up the Federation of International Basketball Associations' 3x3 rankings, and will allow Sri Lanka to qualify for more World stage matches. 

The SLBF will make every effort to inject more talent into the top 100 and make the tournaments more competitive. 

The SLBF is aiming at two targets. 

Firstly, to increase its Federation points, which will help the country's ranking to rise and secondly, through the tournament, to unearth more talent outside the top 100 and nurture the top 100 pool.