Following an impressive run at the recent basketball series in Rancagua, Chile, the U23 Team USA 3×3, led by University of Louisville graduate guard Sydney Taylor, has secured its spot in the Nation’s League Final, set to take place this coming September.
Team USA dominated the Chilean leg of the Nation’s League, taking home victories in five out of the six single-day tournaments. The team’s remarkable performance ensured its qualification for the highly anticipated Finals.
Sydney Taylor proved instrumental to the team’s success. Participating in three of the six days of the competition, she played a pivotal role in each of the three tournaments won by Team USA. Across the nine games, Taylor scored an impressive 52 points, leading the team in scoring for two of these games. Her standout performance against Puerto Rico, where she scored a game-high 11 points on Day three, marked her highest single-game point tally of the weekend.
Over the course of the six-day competition, the USA women’s team posted a formidable record of 15-2, outscoring opponents by a combined total of 332-181. Their only losses were by slim margins, falling to Venezuela and Puerto Rico by a combined four points. Showcasing their dominance, the team notched up nine wins by a margin of 10 points or more.
This success comes in the midst of an action-packed summer for Sydney Taylor. Earlier this month, she made her debut for the Louisville Cardinals at the 2023 GLOBL JAM tournament in Toronto. She led the Cardinals by averaging 13.3 points per game over the course of four matches and was crowned Tournament MVP following a stellar performance in the gold medal game. Scoring 15 points and dishing out four assists, Taylor hit a game-winning three-pointer with just 28 seconds remaining, securing the gold medal for the Cardinals.
Looking ahead, Team USA now sets its sights on the 2023 FIBA 3×3 Nations League Final. The global basketball event will be hosted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from September 13-15. Following their impressive performance in Chile and led by the in-form Sydney Taylor, the U23 Team USA 3×3 will be a formidable contender at the Nations League Final.
