25 Jul 2023
EDMONTON (Canada) - Unstoppable Ub Huishan NE (SRB) will be aiming for a record-setting title at the first-ever FIFA 3x3 World Tour Edmonton Masters on July 28-29.
There has been no stopping the No.1 ranked team, who equalled their own record from last year in Macau after winning their fourth Masters to start the season.
Ub will be out to create history, but won't have the services of muscular Nemanja Barac.
There is no need to worry because the spectacular Serbs will have big fella YuXuan Liu, who was key in their triumph in Manila, while legendary Dejan Majstorovic returns after missing Macau.
It won't be a breeze with Ub set to be tested in Pool A by Wuxi (CHN), who were runners-up at the FIBA 3x3 Novi Sad Challenger, and dangerous Dusseldorf LFDY (GER) desperate for World Tour success.
Amsterdam HiPRO (NED) might be Ub's biggest challenger having finished runners-up in Marseille and they've been on a tear on the pro circuit.
The Dutch Masters are led by excitement machine Worthy de Jong, who has been averaging an insane 10.2 ppg on the World Tour - almost 3 ppg more than anyone else.
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Amsterdam headlines Pool B and will battle North American teams Princeton (USA) - making their World Tour 2023 debut - and Toronto (CAN), who represent Canada's best chance of making a deep run.
Pool C might as well be renamed the 'Group of Death'. Expect something crazier than the ending of Oppenheimer - no spoilers, promise! - with No.3 seeds Riga (LAT) being pitted against veterans Lausanne (SUI) and natural born entertainers Washington DC (USA).
Washington are eyeing a first-ever World Tour triumph and their hopes are high with former NBA player Charlie Brown Jr set to deliver some nasty jams.
Pool D will feature a blockbuster between Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (MGL) and Liman Huishan NE (SRB) in a rematch of the classic semi-final in Macau.
The Mongolians will be out for revenge and their star shooter Steve Sir will be pumped-up returning home.
He'll no doubt be engaged in a shoot-out with Liman sniper Nebojsa Kilijan. But Ulaanbaatar will need new strategies against rising Chinese star Ning Zhang, who was the difference in Macau.
Zhang loves nothing more than playing bully ball and we can't wait to see what he has in store in Edmonton.
The third team in Pool D will come from the qualifying draw, where rising San Juan (PUR) will start favorites against Santiago UNAB (CHI) and St. Boniface (CAN).
FIBA
