Luke Pople will compete in the 3×3 World Championship this weekend. Photos: Supplied.
Three Wollongong Roller Hawks players are swapping national courts for the world stage this weekend as they head to South Africa to represent Australia at the inaugural 3X3 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships.
Luke Pople, Tomas Klein and Hannah Dodd are among the athletes set to make history in Sun City, where 22 international teams will battle it out in the fast-paced, high-energy format.
Held from 1 to 3 August, it will mean the three players are leaving their teams to compete without them in the National Wheelchair Basketball League against Perth this weekend.
Pople said he was going into the tournament with no expectations.
“The only big tournament we’ve had for three on three is the Comm Games and that was next level,” he said.
“If it matches that, it’d be awesome.
“We’re just looking forward to getting over and playing and checking out South Africa.”
Joining the men’s team are Pople’s Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning teammates Lachie Dalton and Jake Kavanagh.
The new face is Tomas Klein, whose only experience in 3X3 was last month’s Asia Oceania Cup.
At just 24, Klein has played professionally in Europe and plied his trade in Italy, with stints playing with Darwin and Red Dust in the past.
For the international tournament, 22 teams from around the world across the men’s and women’s competitions will come together to compete.
In the men’s competition, 14 teams will divide into two groups of five and one group of four, with each team competing in round-robin group play, with the top teams advancing to the knockout rounds.
Tomas Klein will also be heading to South Africa.
“This world cup is very interesting because it’s the first time they’re doing it,” Pople said.
“It’s an open world cup. Any team can come, so there’s going to be a lot of teams I’ve never played against before.
“You never know which players teams are going to send, so it’ll be exciting to see.
“I think it’s going to be fun; it’s a fun format and it will be a fun tournament. It’s fast paced; it’s exciting.”
The 3X3 World Championships add to an ever increasing domestic and international schedule.
It has resulted in the WBA running the national league in a small window during the Australian winter to avoid clashes with Northern Hemisphere leagues and major tournaments, such as the Paralympics and World Championships.
While missing key players for a round is not ideal, Pople said the benefits for the sport long term were immense.
“It gives guys more and more opportunities just to play, whether it be national league or whether it be different tournaments for the Aussie team,” he said.
“If they come up and we can go and we’re available, there’s no point in us backing down from that.
“The more we can be on court and play, the more it’s going to help our national team and then the Wollongong Roller Hawks.”
Roller Hawks head coach Brett Stibners made sure all players saw meaningful court time during the weekend ahead of two much sterner tests in the coming weeks against finals contenders Perth Wheelcats and Red Dust Heelers.
“We’re going to be down a few players, so it’s just about getting through different rotations and trying new combinations,” Stibners said.
Wollongong Roller Hawks will return home for their final regular season round against the Red Dust Heelers at home from 8 to 10 August.
