Olympic dream comes true for Canadian 3×3 basketball team

By Lethbridge Herald on May 22, 2024.

Sandra Ygueravide, left, of Spain, is challenged by Kacie Bosch, right, of Canada, for the ball during the FIBA 3x3 Basketball Olympic Qualifying Tournament women's semifinal match at the women's basketball 3x3 Olympic qualifying tournament in Debrecen, Hungary, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Zsolt Czegledi/MTI via AP)

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

Canada’s FIBA (International Basketball Federation) 3×3 women’s basketball team had a second chance to qualify for this summer’s Paris Summer Olympics and they made the most of it over the weekend.

The red and white team that consisted of Lethbridge’s own Kacie Bosch, Paige Crozon and the Plouffe twins , Katherine and Michelle, were one of three teams that qualified for this summer’s Olympics after beating the qualifying tournament-host Hungary 21-10 in the third- place game on Sunday.

Bosch feels the win has not digested yet.

“When the confetti was falling on the court, that’s when it felt real and then once we left the court, it felt surreal,” said Bosch.

“So I’m still finding that concrete feeling that we’re going to the Olympics because it hasn’t actually sunk in yet.”

Canada had no choice but to win the third- place game if they wanted to keep their Olympic dream alive after losing a nail-biting semi-final 15-14 to Spain.

“So just making sure that again we were being mentally strong,” said Bosch.

“We were locked into the scout for the next game and the preparation for the next game right away. And playing Hungary in front of the Hungarian fans too was just so fun, the atmosphere was electric and their fans were amazing for them and it made that last game so much fun.”

Crozon saw Canada use their defensive strength in the tournament.

“We put emphasis on stopping teams on defence and then eliminating second chance opportunities through rebounding,” said Crozon.

Canada understood that this is where they intended to be once they arrived in Hungary.

“This was the path that we were going to take, and it was going to help us prepare for the Olympics, and that’s how we framed it and I think that kind of help uplift our spirits and motivate us throughout the tournament,” said Crozon.

The Canadian team failed to earn an Olympic berth in the first qualifying tournament in Japan and knew changes had to be made.

“I think we put so much pressure on ourselves in that first tournament, that it didn’t feel like we were playing our usual basketball,” said Bosch.

“It felt pretty heavy and when we lost that tournament, we knew that something had to change. So when we play with a lot of joy, and when we play for each other and when we play free without expectations, that’s when we play our best basketball. So it was really just overcoming the mental hurdles and finding that fun and the freedom again.”

The team has been working towards this goals for the last five years.

“To have officially qualified feels really gratifying,” said Crozon.

“It also feels like a big relief. It was a very emotional tournament. So to have secured the spot and to be back at home feels very relieving as well.”

Canada opened with a pair of victories over Lithuania and Chile respectively on May 16, followed by a 17-10 win over Czechia on Saturday and then a 21-8 win over Italy in the quarter finals before the semi-final and third place results on Sunday.

Both Crozon and Bosch are assistant coaches on the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s basketball team.

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