Dolson, Samuelson Named to U.S. Olympic 3x3 Team

Katie Lou Samuelson, Stefanie Dolson and Alisha Gray were among
the players named to the USA Olympic women's basketball team.
All three will compete in the inaugural 3x3 Olympic competition
in Tokyo this summer. [Photo Courtesy USA Basketball]

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Former UConn women’s basketball All-Americans Stefanie Dolson and Katie Lou Samuelson were selected to the U.S. Olympic 3x3 Women’s Basketball roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This summer is the inaugural 3x3 Olympic competition. Dolson and Samuelson, along with Kelsey Plum and Allisha Gray were the four athletes who qualified USA Basketball for the Summer Games.

This is the first Olympics for Dolson and Samuelson. Along with the 5x5 team, seven former Huskies will represent USA Basketball at the 2020 Olympics as the duo joins Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi in Tokyo. This will be a record fifth Olympics for both Taurasi and Bird.

Currently a member of the Chicago Sky, Dolson is 42-3 all-time with USA Basketball teams, including five-on-five and 3x3. She first played with the USA National Team in 2013 as a college student and since has been on six five-on-five national team rosters between the 2019 FIBA AmeriCup and exhibition games. She won gold medals with USA Basketball junior national teams at the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and the 2011 FIBA U19 World Cup.

Samuelson is 55-2 with USA five-on-five and 3x3 teams in competition and exhibition games. She owns one gold medal with the USA National Team from the 2019 AmeriCup and five gold medals from junior national USA teams. She won gold at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games (3x3), the 2013 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup, 2013 FIBA Americas 3x3 U18 Championship, the 2014 FIBA U17 World Cup, where she was named to the all-tournament team, and the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship. 

Samuelson, who won 3x3 gold medals at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and the 2013 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup, will become the first USA Basketball player to compete in a Youth Olympic Games and an Olympic Games. In its first Olympic showing, 3x3 basketball will feature eight women’s teams competing at Aomi Urban Sports Park from July 24-28. The preliminary round will be played from July 24-27. The quarterfinals will be on July 27, and the semifinals and finals are set for July 28.

Four women’s teams qualified for the Tokyo Olympic 3x3 competition in November of 2019 based on their FIBA 3x3 national federation rankings, including China, Mongolia, Romania and Russia. Three more teams qualified from the May 2021 FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, including the USA, France and Japan. The eighth and final team, Italy, earned its berth at the June FIBA 3x3 Universal Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

An exciting and fast-paced game, 3x3 officially was unveiled in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and since has become a fan favorite at FIBA 3x3 World Cup events.

3x3 basketball is played with a 12-second shot clock on a half court. Baskets inside the arc and free throws are worth one point, and baskets made from outside the arc are worth two points. The winner is the first team to score 21 points, or the leading team at the end of the 10-minute game clock. Each team consists of four players, three on the court and one substitute per team.

—Staff Reports