Coach Hannah Brings 3v3 to UPB
By: Andrea Aruino
3v3 is rapidly growing within the basketball world. With its debut at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the new format was introduced to many fans, coaches, players, and more, like never before. What may seem like a chiller, less competitive scene due to less players on the court actually calls for demands for even more strategic moves and attention to detail.
Coach Hannah Johnson, who is one of UPB’s Player Development Coaches, is highly knowledgeable of the 3v3 format even playing professionally in Europe. Although before she became a teacher of this, she played the regular 5v5 like most of us know today. Johnson played collegiately for the University of Washington where she had a successful tenure where she scored over 500 points as well as accumulating over 400 rebounds. Just like many wish to do, Johnson brought her talents overseas to continue her professional career at Malta in Europe. Armed with a deep understanding of the 5v5 game, she was first introduced to the format in 2020 by a former teammate which sparked her interest.
Johnson then brought up the idea to UPB last year which marked the beginning of UPB’s journey into the rapidly growing 3v3 scene. Before splitting players up into teams, Johnson ensures that the players would have the proper foundation of knowledge in order to succeed in this up and coming basketball format.
“Our idea wasn’t just to play 3v3–we wanted to dedicate the first 15 to 30 minutes to learning how to read the court and what decisions they could make based on their opponents setup,” Coach Johnson said.
Taking away two players from each team calls for an adjustment in order to succeed. Johnson outlined the differences that come with playing 3v3, which includes having more room on the court allowing for more opportunity to make the right reads or a faster pace which encourages strategic thinking under pressure. During her time at Malta playing in this format, it pushed her out of her comfort zone after having played 5v5 for the majority of her career. With this switch, she found herself improving in ways that weren’t always possible in a typical 5v5 game.
With her experience at Malta, she wanted to extend that development to the players she coaches because it allows for even more individual growth as well as creating a less overwhelming and intimidating environment due to having fewer people on court. It can even serve as a great introduction to competitive play for those who are just beginning their basketball journey. UPB wrapped up one of the All Girls 3v3 League tournaments earlier this month with the winners being Hoover Hoops. Johnson noticed the joy and excitement that came from these girls when playing.
“It seemed like a really good experience for them, learning how to play in that type of setting. The girls were just having fun and enjoying themselves which is one of the most important parts to us as coaches,” Johnson said.
With a successful girls tournament and successful boys 3v3 league last year, UPB will be holding another boys 3v3 league for 6th-8th graders every Tuesday at 7pm starting on April 8th. Over the course of six weeks they will be able to train and develop as an individual and on a team of three by engaging in new tactics and thinking. Make sure to sign up with the deadline being Monday, March 24 at 5pm! You can click here to learn more on how to sign up.
By launching this league, UPB provides players with a platform that gives them the space to refine their skills through innovation which encourages creative thinking and quick problem-solving. All of which are skills that set them up for success in the traditional 5v5 game. Most importantly, this new format has the power to boost these players' confidence.
