London 3x3 returns to the Pro Circuit after Team England Commonwealth Glory

With a brutal schedule and a new-look squad, London 3x3 come unstuck against fierce competition at the Athens Challenger.

At the end of a hectic week filled with Commonwealth triumph for London players Jamell Anderson, Ashley Hamilton and Evan Walshe, attention quickly returned to London 3x3’s World Tour ambitions as a new-look roster landed in Greece to face a Challenger field stacked with the world’s best. Ashley Hamilton, Evan Walshe and Veron Eze reunited after several weeks since London 3x3’s last outing, and were joined by debutant Joe Buchanan in the absence of Jamell Anderson and Toto Fagbenle.

London’s schedule began with a matchup feared by many, against current number 3 ranked in the world Amsterdam Rabobank. However, without their talisman Worthy de Jong, Amsterdam’s form could not be anticipated. The game began with all three starting dutchmen finding the bottom of the net as they took a commanding early lead. London responded through an Evan Walshe free throw and an inside make from Ashley Hamilton to cut the lead to two points but it wasn’t enough to rein Amsterdam back in. Despite a strong showing from debutant Buchanan, with two points and three rebounds, Amsterdam continued to stretch away as time expired with the game concluding 20-8.

The final matchup of Pool C was a win or go home fixture for both London 3x3 and their Latvian opposition, Kandava Turiba. Despite also suffering an earlier defeat at the hands of Amsterdam, Kandava remained a force to be reckoned with, and their roster was not short of experience as it featured 2020 Olympic Gold Medal winning Edgars Krumins. This time London started brightly, and Joe Buchanan continued to make an impact as he converted the first points of the game. Ashley Hamilton and Evan Walshe took over London’s scoring output and kept the game close at 10-11 with two minutes remaining. Karlis Silke-Zunda proved too much to contain as he scored three of Kandava’s vital last four points to see off the British side 15-12.

Despite a tough exit from the Athens Challenger, London 3x3 and Team England can be proud of their combined achievements over the last week of constant 3x3 competition. Attention now turns to the Singapore Challenger where London 3x3 face rising stars Skyliners in the first showdown of Pool B on 15^th August.