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- What a start to the season
What happened
5-0 Let’s Go! The new look (more on this below) Princeton team won the Hongcheon Challenger tournament, going undefeated in the process.
The Final at Hongcheon was a matchup between Princeton (#15) and San Juan (#12). The game started off back and forth, but after being down 5-6, Princeton scored 3 straight buckets and never trailed again on their way to winning 21-18.
Princeton goes on an early scoring run and never looks back
Alright so what is “new look” about the Princeton team? The 2024 Princeton team has some new faces:
The new additions complement the mainstays:
Quick Takes
📈 Winning the Hongcheon Challenger means…
$20k cash prize
auto-qualify for the Chengdu Masters and an additional Challenger this season
Leaderboard points … 248,310 of them, putting Princeton securely at 15th. Gotta keep moving up the board for the coveted 12th spot to get into the championship tournament at the end of the season.
🔥 Huffman’s hot hand
He hit 13 two pointers 😲 and did it shooting 59% from range.
🤢 Overcoming Adversity
The whole team came down with a stomach bug, plus the long travel to Hongcheon only made the tournament win that much more gratifying.
Spotlight // Henry Caruso
Henry Caruso delivered a complete performance to lead Princeton past San Juan 21-18. Caruso was a force from start to finish, pacing the victors with 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 key assists. He outdueled San Juan's Antonio Ralat, who had 8 points but 2 costly turnovers. Caruso helped Princeton take an early 5-3 lead with an assist, then extended the margin to 8-6 with a 1-pointer at the 6:18 mark. He came up clutch down the stretch, draining a 2-pointer for a 19-16 edge with 4:11 left. After Damon Huffman's 1-pointer made it 20-17, Caruso iced it at the line for the 21-18 final.
Around the League
The US teams are starting the year strong. Miami won the first Masters tournament of the year in Utsunomiya. The success on the FIBA circuit is good news for the US Olympic prospects.
Princeton 3×3 competes at the highest level of FIBA 3×3 basketball. Each season is comprised of Masters and Challenger tournaments. There are more Challenger tournaments throughout the season and they offer a qualification path for teams to play in Masters tournaments. Masters tournaments have larger cash prizes and reward more points to move up the leaderboard.
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