SASKATOON – Team Saskatoon was one of six basketball teams from around the globe selected to compete at the 2014 FIBA 3X3 All Stars in Doha, Qatar. This was the first time a Canadian team participated in the event, which took place on Dec. 12.
Michael Linklater, 32, O’Neil Gordon, 34, Michael Lieffers , 27, and Willie Murdaugh, 45, comprise the Canadian squad. Gordon resides in Brandon, Man. while the others live in Saskatoon. Linklater and Lieffers, won the national Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) title in 2009-10 season with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
Following a successful run through Canada Basketball’s 3×3 Canada Quest tournament in Edmonton, Team Saskatoon won the 2014 FIBA 3×3 World Tour Chicago Masters, qualifying them for the 2014 World Tour Masters Final in Tokyo, Japan. In October, the Canadian quartet posted a second place finish at the 2014 FIBA World Tour Masters Final, losing to Novi Sad.
Additionally, they qualified for the FIBA 3×3 All Stars thanks to Murdaugh being the number-one 3×3 player in the Americas. Murdaugh is originally from the United States. Linklater is the number-one ranked player in Canada.
The fourth annual FIBA 3×3 All Stars will bring together the number-one ranked players from around the world and their squads. Saskatoon is, on average, the oldest and shortest team in the event.
Teams are divided into two pools, playing in a round-robin first with the top-two placed teams from each pool advancing to a standard knockout round which starts at the semi-finals stage. The game is played on a half court with three players to a team, and is 21-point sudden death or the best score after 10 minutes.
Unfortunately for Team Saskatoon, their quest lasted two games as they lost both round-robin games.
Prize money and appearance fees for players at the event total $120,000, with the winning team receiving $35,000.
Established in 1932, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) is a non-profit organization comprised of 214 national federation members.