Van den Spiegel: “3×3 Basketball Still Needs Time, But It Will Become A Powerful Discipline In Its Own” | Platform

do you remember? Beating the colossal bell of the Belgian lion, Thibaut Verfort, by a margin of 7 hundred from the left to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic tournament. A new dose of sports nationalism in a hitherto unknown system.

The organization of the 3×3 World Cup in our country should warm the sports enthusiasts of the young branch of basketball, and this seems to work, because some sessions have already completely run out.

“It’s also a real summer sport,” says former basketball player Thomas van den Spiegel. “Everyone gets into a certain atmosphere, especially now that audiences can experience in real life what they’ve seen on television all summer.”

Sporza commentator Kris Meertens has been living in Tokyo and especially notes that he is very intense. “I’ve rarely seen athletes suffer like this. You shouldn’t underestimate the teams that exist with classic basketball. You don’t have time to recover.”

“3×3 really means a lot to basketball,” says Van den Spiegel. “You address an audience you would never have otherwise reached. I also noticed that discipline is gradually taking on a life of its own: it really requires a certain type of player. It still takes time, but it is a strong discipline on its own.”

Part of the Tokyo success story has been the relative daily life of the Belgian Lions, Antwerp as they are officially called. A group of friends decided everything without a coach and found their own way.

So it was the biggest surprise when captain Nick Siles announced that Raf Bogarts would not participate in the World Cup. “I thought it was very strange,” Mertens says. “I also had a pass from Celis that Maxime Dipoidet was called up. I played the sixth man, the injury blocker, but it was also premeditated: they’re aiming for two more throws.”

Van den Spiegel adds, “In a way, it’s a little strange that Siles, as the driving force behind it, can or should make those decisions”, although I also suppose that this decision was made in all fairness. But it is something annoying for Raf Bogarts, who also wanted to shine in his city and was one of the founders of the success of the Antwerp team.”

It’s a situation that Julie Vanlow is well aware of. 3×3 lady poster Before the World Cup, he also had to watch from the sidelines in the Olympic qualifiers in his hometown of Ostend (in indoor basketball).

“I also plan to send a word of support to Bogarts. I don’t know him very well, but I know how painful that can be.”

Vanlo himself will be there this time in Antwerp. She and some of her fellow cats make up a strong team. “We are a strong team because of our experiences with the national team, and if we start the tournament with the same mentality, we can score high goals. With the cats, we are all winners. Certainly we hope for the quarter-finals and we dream even more.”

The contrast with men is astounding. Not only do Siles and Verfort play at the highest level in 5×5 basketball, the Belgian women’s team stems entirely from classic professional basketball.

But national coach Valerie Demore gave Vanlo his blessing. ‘The national coach mainly said’good chance‘ And the ‘like toyBut of course he also hopes we don’t get injured. You’re constantly entering the red zone in 3×3, but the energy you get in return is invaluable.”