Ontario Basketball announced Monday it will host one of three Canadian berths for the inaugural FIBA Men’s 3x3 World Tour. The event, dubbed 3x3 Canada Quest, is scheduled for July 6-8, 2012 at the world-class Rexall Centre on the campus of York University in Toronto.

 

“With the rapid global growth of 3x3 basketball, we are excited to host this event at such a world-class venue in Toronto,” said Michael T. Cvitkovic, executive director, Ontario Basketball. “There is great depth of basketball talent in Ontario with thousands around the world also representing our province on the basketball scene. This depth will result in an incredible competition as we launch the 3x3 experience. In addition to the elite tournament, we must also strategize 3x3 integration throughout our basketball development pathway, especially within the younger age categories.”

 

Registration for the three-day event opens April 23, 2012 with an approximately 240 teams estimated to participate. Early bird entry fee is $200 with teams receiving a minimum of seven games, a reversible jersey and prizing for the Elite 8. The winning team will earn an all-expenses paid trip to New York City. The tournament is an Open Men’s Division, eligible to all male players over the age of 18 from the Province of Ontario. Plans are being made to grow the event in future years to include an Open Women’s Division and youth divisions. 

 

Ontario Basketball has hired renown brand experience company Flow Experience Inc. to assist in the management of this event. Support from the corporate community includes initial partners such as InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Tourism Toronto, Spalding and Russell Athletics.

 

The 3x3 competitions in Canada will be hosted by Ontario Basketball, Quebec Basketball Federation (Montreal, July 7-8), and Basketball Alberta / Basketball BC (Edmonton, June 23-24).

 

The three winning teams will earn a berth and represent Canada in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters in New York City. The 16 best teams from the Masters will then qualify for the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final, which will be held in Miami, Florida from September 23-24, 2012.

 

More information on the Toronto event, including team registration, can be found here.