Lawrence II Selected to Play in 3X3U National Championship
CORAL GABLES, Fla.– Anthony Lawrence II of the University of Miami men’s basketball team has been selected to participate in the 2019 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, scheduled for April 5-7 at Minnesota’s Mall of America. Lawrence is one of four players selected from the Atlantic Coast Conference, joining Pittsburgh’s Jared Wilson-Frame and Clemson’s Marcquise Reed and Elijah Thomas.
Lawrence II and his ACC teammates open pool play at 2 p.m. Friday against the Mountain West team and also takes on the Patriot League squad at 4:40 p.m. Friday.
The tournament is comprised of all-star teams of seniors who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility, representing all 32 Division I conferences. The teams will compete for a $150,000 prize pool, with the champions taking home $100,000, double the prize money from a year ago. Additionally, the winners will earn the right to compete in the 2019 USA Basketball 3×3 Open National Championship later this spring.
Lawrence finished 34th in career scoring at Miami with 1,043 points. He played in 130 career games, which is tied for fifth most in program history, and racked up 141 steals, which stands ninth at UM. He played 3,300 career minutes, which is 10th in school history. He averaged 12.6 ppg and 6.7 rpg while starting in all 32 of Miami’s games during his senior season.
All games of the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship will be carried live on Twitter or ESPN2. Pool play will begin at 3 p.m. ET on April 5, with 24 games streamed live exclusively on Twitter. Pool play will continue on April 6 at 9:30 a.m. ET with 24 more games streamed live exclusively on Twitter. Round of 16 and quarterfinal games will be streamed live exclusively on Twitter at 10:30 a.m. ET on April 7, with semifinal, consolation and championship games televised live on ESPN2 later that day at 3 p.m. ET. Returning to call all the action throughout the tournament will be the voice of FIBA 3×3 basketball, Kyle Montgomery, with Robbie Hummel of ESPN and Tate Frazier and Mark Titus of The Ringer’s One Shining Podcast providing color commentary and sideline coverage.
Each team roster will be comprised of four eligible seniors from the same Division I conference. Teams will be organized into eight pools of four and each team will be guaranteed three pool play games, earning $1,000 for every victory on Friday and Saturday. The top two teams in each pool will move on to Sunday’s knockout stage, where the stakes skyrocket. Only the teams competing in the tournament final will earn additional prize money, with the champions winning $100,000.
The setting for the second annual Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship will be unlike anything the 128 players have seen when they take to the half-court inside Mall of America, the most popular tourist destination in Minnesota with more than 40 million visitors each year. The Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship will be staged in the Rotunda at the Mall, which hosted the first WCW Monday Nitro in September 1995, and will be just the second live sporting event to be broadcast in the Mall’s history.
Bragging rights for the winners won’t end in Minnesota; the 2019 champion will earn the right to represent the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship at the USA Basketball 3×3 Open National Championship later this spring. There, athletes will have the opportunity to be selected to represent the United States in the 2019 FIBA 3×3 World Cup, held June 18-23 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Participating athletes will also be considered for the USA Basketball 3×3 athlete pool, which may lead to future opportunities in other FIBA 3×3 competitions. Of note, the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo will feature 3×3 basketball as a medal sport for the first time.
Admission to the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship is free and fans are encouraged to be part of the atmosphere during regular Mall of America operating hours (10 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. CT on April 5-6, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. CT on April 7).
For more information on the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, including event updates, details, rules and more, follow us on Twitter at @3X3UHoops or online at www.3X3UHoops.com.
