The USA Women's under-18 3x3 Teams are two of the under-18 3x3 basketball teams under the auspices of the USA Basketball organization. In 2011, International Basketball Federation (FIBA) held the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup. It is an 3x3 under-18 basketball tournament held in every year. But the tournament was not held in 2014 and 2018 due to 3x3 basketball being an event at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics and 2018 Summer Youth Olympics. In 2020, it was not held due to COVID-19 pandemic.
As of 2024, the team has won eight times 3x3 U18 World Cup titles. Also the team won two times Youth Olympic Games gold medals.
Kathy Richey-Walton was named to coach the U18 team selected to compete in the first ever Youth Olympic Games which was held in Singapore from August 14 to 26 2010. The players selected for the team were:
Stokes led the team in scoring in the first game against Angola. She scored 12 points, to help the team win 20âÂÂ8. She went on to score 19 points in the game against the host country Singapore, helping the team to win 34âÂÂ11. Henson took over the scoring leadership ant he third game, with 14 points in a 33âÂÂ6 win over Germany. The USA team then went on to beat Belarus and Korea, but was challenged in the next game against Australia. The USA had a 15âÂÂ7 lead, but Australia tied the game in regulation and went on to win in overtime. The final game was against Canada for the bronze medal. Canty was the scoring leader with 15 points, and the USA won 34âÂÂ16 to secure the bronze medal finish.
Following the inaugural 3x3 event at the Youth Olympics, in 2011, FIBA held the first 3x3 U18 (Youth) World Championship For Women. The event was held in Rimini, Italy, September 9âÂÂ11, 2011. The teams no longer had coaches, but did have USA Basketball representative as a team leader. Jamie Carey served as the team leader in 2011. The players selected for the team were:
The USA team won their first three games easily, reaching 21 points before the opposition reached double-digits. However, in the third game, against Guam, Reimer injured her right ankle and was unable to play in any further contests. With only four players, this meant the remaining three players had to play all minutes without a substitution. The next game was against Italy, and the USA team won, but by a much closer score than in previous contests, 16âÂÂ13. The three-player team then took on and defeated Sweden and India. This qualified them for the medal rounds. In the quarterfinals against the Czech Republic, the game went to double-overtime, but the USA team emerged victorious with a 25âÂÂ23 win.
The win sent the team to the semi-finals against Italy, a team the USA had defeated in a close match earlier. However, less than two minutes into the game, Greenwell suffered a knee injury. The game was delayed for 90 minutes, but Greenwell was unable to continue. The game was restarted, with the USA team fielding only two players against Italy's three players. Despite the handicap, the USA team took the game to overtime, but lost in the sudden death period. The team was scheduled to play against Japan for the bronze medal, but forfeited due to the injuries and finished in fourth place. A team can finish with two players, but must have three players to start a game. FIBA decided to award the team honorary bronze medals to recognize the effort.
After the first event, FIBA decided that the U18 event would be held on an annual basis. The second FIBA 3x3 U18 (Youth) World Championship For Women was held in Alcobendas, Spain, September 28âÂÂ30, 2012. The team which qualified for the event had the following players:
Davis was the only player with prior experience in international competition. The games are intended to be played outdoors, but rain forced the games indoors for the first two days. The USA team won their first four games easily. In the second match of the second day, the USA faced China. Both DeShields and Davis fouled out, leaving McCall and Turner to play two on three. They took the game to overtime, but fell to China 13âÂÂ12. Despite the loss, the team was still the number one seed for the medal rounds.
The USA faced Estonia in the quarterfinals, and won 21âÂÂ15. This set up a semi-final game against Australia, which the USA team won 21âÂÂ13. The gold medal game was against the host team, Spain. Although Spain scored first, the USA team took a lead and never relinquished it, winning the game 21âÂÂ13 to win the first ever gold medal for the US in U18 3x3 event.
The third FIBA 3x3 U18 (Youth) World Championship For Women was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 26âÂÂ29, 2013. The team which qualified for the event had the following players:
Turner was a repeat team member from the 2012 team. The USA team started strong, giving up only two points each to Guam and Puerto Rico, winning each game 21âÂÂ2. The third game was against China, who proved a stronger opponent. China was hitting outside shots, worth two points, and late in the game the score was tied at 15 points each. Then Ogunbowale scored three points on a basket a foul shot and a basket to give the USA team the lead. She then passed to Turner inside to push the score to the final score 19âÂÂ16. In their next game the USA team lost to Lithuania 11âÂÂ9. The team bounced back with a win over Spain. In the first knock-out round, the USA team beat Thailand 21âÂÂ14 to reach the quarterfinals. France was the opponent in the quarterfinals, and proved a tough competitor. The USA won by only two points, 17âÂÂ15. That set up a semi-final match against Spain, which the USA team won 15âÂÂ10. The gold medal game was against Estonia, who came into the game with the same record as the USA 7âÂÂ1. The USA won 21âÂÂ12 to win the gold medal.
The U18 event in 2014 was held as part of the Youth Olympic Games held in Nanjing, China, August 16âÂÂ28, 2014.
The players for the USA team were:
Samuelson turned an ankle prior to the event, so was unable to play in some games, and had limited minutes in others. This mean the remaining three player had to play without substitution in some matches. Despite that, the team started out well. The USA team started with a 21âÂÂ3 win over Romania, followed by victories over Indonesia, Egypt, and Thailand. Samuelson was able to play in the game against Belgium hitting five of six field goal attempts.
On Thursday, August 21, a shoot-out contest was held. Samuelson placed third out of 158 contestants, winning a bronze medal.
After the individual events, the USA team continued to win. Samuelson was able to play, though with limited court time in some of the remaining games. The USA team beat Estonia in the quarterfinal 21âÂÂ12, then Hungary in the semi-final 21âÂÂ14. This set up the gold medal match against the undefeated Netherlands team, which the USA team won 19âÂÂ10, to end the event with a perfect 9âÂÂ0 record.
The U18 event in 2015 was held in Debrecen, Hungary, June 4âÂÂ7, 2015.
The players for the USA team were:
Asia Durr played on the Defend team, which won 2015 USA Basketball 3ÃÂ3 U18 National Tournament along with the right to represent the US at the World Championships, but she suffered a muscle injury, and had to withdraw. She was replaced by Erin Boley, a player on the Southern Starz team, and the winner of the qualifying tournament MVP award.
After winning their opening game against Switzerland in overtime, the USA team went on to win their next six games. They were undefeated entering the gold medal game against France. The USA team had a 12âÂÂ9 lead halfway through the game, but France responded with a 9âÂÂ3. The USA team tied the game twice, but France hit a free throw with 17 seconds left in the game to win 20âÂÂ19, and earn the gold medal. The USA finished second, earning the silver medal.
The U18 event in 2016 was held in Astana, Kazakhstan, June 5âÂÂ8, 2016.
The players for the USA team were:
In the opening game against the Netherlands, the USA team led early and held an 8âÂÂ5 lead after four minutes. The Netherlands then began to hit baskets and outscored the USA 8âÂÂ1 to take a four-point lead with under four minutes to go and continued on to the 21âÂÂ13 win. The USA played later in the day against Poland and won 21âÂÂ15. The USA then won their next four games which qualified them for the championship game against France, who led most of the way, with as much as a nine-point lead at one time. The USA cut the lead to six but France scored three more points to win the game 21âÂÂ12. France won the gold medal while the USA earned a silver medal for the second year in a row.
The U18 event in 2017 was held in Chengdu, China from June 28 to July 2, 2017.
The players for the USA team were:
Team USA defeated the Czech Republic to win the gold medal.
The U18 event in 2018 was held as part of the Youth Olympic Games held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 7âÂÂ17, 2018.
The players for the USA team were:
The team won every game in pool play to take a 4âÂÂ0 record into the knock-out round. They beat the Netherlands in the quarterfinal game 18âÂÂ14, then China in the semi-final 21âÂÂ9. This set up the gold medal match against France, which the USA team won 18âÂÂ4, to end the event with a perfect 9âÂÂ0 record.
The players for the USA team were:
The players for the USA team were:
The players for the USA team were:
The players for the USA team were:
The players for the USA team were: