'I am Birmingham': Homeland heroes sink Australia to win gold in men's 3x3 basketball thriller
Out of breath. Really short of breath.
That’s how everyone feels after one of the best commercials you can see for 3×3 basketball.
It’s the kind of finish that keeps your heart racing long after the full-time siren goes off.
The British men rode a wave of overwhelming home crowd support to beat Australia in extra time, 17-16.
Australian man claims wheelchair basketball gold
The four gold medal bouts were fast and furious at Smithfield, and the Australian men’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball team kicked off a thrilling clash against Canada.
A day after shooting a double-pointer in extra time to beat England in the semifinals, youngster Lachlin Dalton was back in form to help Australia win 11-9.
“It’s a bit surreal to come out playing well for the country and just to help be part of the gold medal, the first of its kind, there’s something special,” Dalton said.
“To go out and play like we did, to have the camaraderie that we did all week, that’s definitely my favorite week.”
‘I am Birmingham’: Local heroes lead the physical battle
In the men’s decider, it was a street ball fight of the highest quality.
After an intense physical battle, in which both sides commit fouls, it goes to extra time where the first team to score two points wins.
Load
After Australia scored the first goal, Birmingham’s Myles Hesson himself found himself within two points, and the swoosh, capacity crowd exploded.
“I’ve played basketball in every corner of Birmingham,” Hesson said.
“This is where I used to take the bus, just here. This is where I go to the market with my grandmother. I’m from Birmingham. I’m Birmingham.”
“I don’t know how they all got the tickets, but there are a lot of people in this stadium who support me. I can hear every last ticket.”
Australia’s Greg Hire, meanwhile, said he was proud of the way the Australian team fought in the game.
“To go down in the game-winning shot to such a talented team in front of the home crowd, I am extremely proud,” said Hire.
“But [it’s a] quite a difficult feeling right now.”
“It’s a privilege to play in front of such a crowd,” added Jesse Wagstaff.
“Birmingham have done a great job putting on a fantastic show.”
Hire played the game with a torn groin and was a terrific street fighter, tearing and jostling, and drawing a lot of attention from the referees – Australia ended up with 11 team fouls and England nine.
“That’s the reason why we love it, right? It’s not the traditional five and five, and it’s tough,” Hire said.
“Obviously the referees swallowed their whistle towards the end of the game, which is a shame, but that’s the style, that’s 3×3 basketball. I think that’s why it’s a sport that as you can see, everyone loves.”
After making his debut at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, Hire, one of Australia’s most experienced players in the short format, said he was retiring from international competition, and wanted to see more investment in it.
“We don’t get paid to play 3×3, we don’t earn a dime like the Boomers. You do it for the love of the game and for the love of the country,” he said.
“What we are seeing is the first step. In the past, and no disrespect to the players who played before us, but the players who specialize in 3×3.
“We need to give respect, raise the profile. Hopefully the NBL folks who aren’t in the Boomers will play for us.”
Women’s team wins minor medal
The women’s wheelchair team couldn’t give their best against Canada, down 14-5.
“The silver medal is a bit bittersweet, but I’m very proud of our daughter,” said Ella Sabljak from Australia.
“We were absolutely nothing, we had no hope, and it was probably our worst game we’ve played in the whole tournament, so I know we’re better than that.”
Australian women beat New Zealand 15-13 to win the bronze medal, and Canadian women beat England 14-13 to claim gold.
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