When the Olympic Games take place in Paris beginning this month, the NCAA’s presence on Team USA will be massive, with former, current or incoming NCAA student-athletes making up 65% (385) of the 592 team members. Twenty-one Team USA teams comprise at least 80% current, former or incoming college athletes, including 14 that are 100% NCAA athletes.

Team USA men’s 3×3 basketball is among that group, reinforcing how the college model serves as a vital training ground for Olympic athletes. The four-person roster represents five schools (four from Division I and one from Division II) from five conferences.

This Olympic Games will be the first time that the U.S. has qualified a team to compete in men’s 3×3 basketball. The 2024 roster is entirely made up of first-time Olympians, all of whom credit their NCAA experiences with preparing them to compete on the world’s biggest stage.

“Having to perform in the classroom, as well as on the court, was really important,” said Kareem Maddox, a 2011 Princeton graduate. “I learned to get through adversity. We learned that attention to details is important. Things I’ve carried on into my career …  it all started with the NCAA and playing at Princeton University.”

“Playing in the NCAA was one of my favorite times ever,” added Jimmer Fredette, 2011 BYU graduate. “To be able to be away from the family and learn time management skills, learn how to be a student-athlete, then also be able to work on your game by yourself when no one else is watching and then continue that throughout the rest of my career to get better at things that I feel like I needed to get better at … And obviously being able to play in front of thousands of fans and play in the NCAA tournament, make it to the Sweet 16, experience all these amazing things that the NCAA provides for student-athletes is pretty incredible. Only fond memories of playing at BYU and the NCAA tournament.”

Meet the team

• Canyon Barry (Charleston, Florida).
• Jimmer Fredette (BYU).
• Kareem Maddox (Princeton).
• Dylan Travis (Florida Southern).

NCAA connections

The five NCAA conferences represented on this year’s roster are the Big 12, Coastal Athletic Association, Ivy League, Southeastern Conference and Sunshine State Conference.

Barry, Fredette, Maddox and Travis all had standout college careers at their respective schools and within their conferences.

After competing at Charleston for three years, Barry finished his career as a graduate transfer at Florida. During the 2017 season, Barry set the Gator program record for consecutive free throws made, with 42. He also earned NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Academic All-American of the Year honors that season.

Fredette had a historic season at BYU in 2011 and was the NCAA season scoring leader. He became the Mountain West Conference’s all-time leading scorer and was named both the Mountain West Conference and CBSSports.com National Player of the Year. He was also awarded the 2011 Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award.

Maddox and the Tigers captured the 2011 Ivy League championship title to advance to the NCAA tournament. During that season, Maddox was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous selection to the All-Ivy League first team.

Travis transferred to Florida Southern for his junior and senior seasons, during which he was named an All-American and was a member of the Division II national championship team in 2015.

National team experience

Although each member of the 2024 roster will be making his Olympic debut this year, all four athletes have played a key role as members of the USA national team in recent years. Barry, Fredette, Maddox and Travis have gained significant experience playing together and will look to build on their past success heading into the 2024 Games.

Both Barry and Maddox are national team veterans who were members of the 3×3 team that won gold at the 2019 FIBA 3×3 World Cup and 2021 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup.

Travis and Fredette made their national team debuts in 2022 and teamed up with Barry and Maddox to win gold at the 2022 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup and 2023 Pan American Games, as well as silver at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup.

Tune in

The 3×3 men’s basketball competition kicks off Tuesday, July 30. Pool play will take place until Sunday, Aug. 4, with the gold and bronze medal games being played Monday, Aug. 5. View the broadcast schedule for 3×3 basketball here.