Hoop City 3x3 basketball event final pro rehearsal for Paris Olympics

Vega Gimeno, left, of Spain, is challenged by Katherine Plouffe, right, of Canada, for the ball during the FIBA 3x3 basketball Olympic qualifying tournament women's semifinal match in Debrecen, Hungary, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Zsolt Czegledi/MTI via AP)

It's the final tune-up for a shot at Olympic hoops glory for twin Edmonton sisters, headliners for the Canadian women's 3x3 basketball team.

This weekend's Hoop City 3x3 is a multi-headed basketball event — the largest 3x3 tourney in Canada — that features pro men's and women's competitions as well as a community tournament.

It runs Friday through Sunday at downtown Edmonton's Ice District.

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Edmonton's Katherine and Michelle Plouffe lead the world No. 2 Canadian team into Hoop City's FIBA 3x3 Women's Series event starting Friday. It features other countries' national squads hoping to medal in Paris.

For the pro men and women, Edmonton is the last stop on their respective tours before the Paris Olympics, with 3x3 basketball competition in France starting July 30 (including the Canadian women vs. Australia) through Aug. 5.

The Plouffe sisters played for Canada in 3x3 basketball at the Tokyo Summer Games three years ago and are former members of the national five-on-five team. The all-Albertan 3x3 squad also features fellow Albertans Paige Crozon and Kacie Bosch, both of Lethbridge.

"We're excited to play in Edmonton in front of a hometown crowd, but we also want to use it to work on some things, get some chemistry and prepare for what's happening in a few weeks.," Michelle Plouffe told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday.

Other teams in the pro women's competition this weekend are the second-seed Dallas 3XBA, Barcelona Panthers, Puerto Rico, Chile, Heidelberg, Tsukuba and Nunawading.

On the Men's World Tour side, Miami is the top-ranked squad of the 14 that will play Saturday and Sunday at Ice District. The squad features one-time college star and ex-NBAer Jimmer Fredette, former Ivy League defensive stalwart Kareem Maddox, and Canyon Barry, son of NBA legend Rick Barry.

Austria's Vienna (No. 2), Bahrain's Riffa (No. 3) and Serbia's Partizan (No. 4) are other top men's seeds.

Further details

• FIBA 3x3 Women's Series: Pool play starts Friday afternoon, with playoffs and final slated for Saturday evening.
• FIBA World 3x3 Tour: It's the second of three years Edmonton is the Canadian host for the men's tour stop. It starts with Saturday morning's qualifying draw, pool play starting in the afternoon and playoffs/final Sunday afternoon.
• Hoop City 3x3 Tournament: 100 teams in competitive and recreational categories of three-to-four players in several age groups — from U11 to adult and including co-ed and adult wheelchair brackets — compete Saturday and Sunday.

The Alberta government said in a media release Thursday that Hoop City is expected to generate $4.3 million into the city's economy through jobs, accommodation bookings and an increase in activity for local businesses. It said it expects four million viewers worldwide for the event.

Schedule

Friday

3 p.m.

• Gates open

4 p.m.

• Fan fest opens
• FIBA 3x3 Women's Series pool play

Saturday

8 a.m.

• Gates open

9 a.m.-9 p.m.

• Hoop City 3x3 Tournament play

10 a.m.

• FIBA 3x3 Men's World Tour qualifying draw
• Quest begins

12:30 p.m.

• Shootout qualification

12:50 p.m.

• FIBA 3x3 Men's World Tour pool play

6:30 p.m.

• FIBA 3x3 Women's Series quarterfinals

7:30 p.m.

• FIBA 3x3 Women's Series semifinals

8:55 p.m.

• FIBA 3x3 Women's Series finals

9:20 p.m.

• FIBA 3x3 Women's Series prize ceremony

Sunday

10 a.m.

• Gates open

11 a.m.

• Quest finals

11 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Hoop City 3x3 Tournament play

12 p.m.

• Wheelchair finals

12:25 p.m.

• FIBA 3x3 Men's World Tour quarterfinals

2:15 p.m.

• Shootout final

2:25 p.m.

• FIBA 3x3 Men's World Tour semifinals

3:25 p.m.

• Dunk contest

3:55 p.m.

• FIBA 3x3 Men's World Tour final

4:20 p.m.

• FIBA 3x3 Men's World Tour prize ceremony