Jewel Loyd has climbed to new heights after the FIBA 2014 3×3 World Championships in Moscow. Not only did the 5-10, 20-year-old All America guard from Notre Dame capture the gold medal, she also scaled her way to the mountain top, becoming the new No. 1 3×3 women’s player in the world.
Loyd was at her best during the tournament, finishing close second in the scoring charts (7.3 points per game). She especially stepped up in money time, outscoring Russia by herself in the gold medal game (9-8). Loyd tallied 183,515 points, just under 10,000 more than team-mates Tiffany Mitchell of South Carolina and Cierra Burdick of Tennessee. The ranking is calculated based on the six best performances in FIBA-endorsed 3×3 events in the last 12 months.
Her achievements include:
– first place at the 2014 FIBA 3×3 World Championships (124,115 points)
– first place at the 2014 US National Trial (54,000 points)
– first place at the 2014 USA Basketball Qualifying Tournament (5,400 points).
Ranking points are awarded based on the event’s place in the 3×3 competition network, the team’s success — final standings and wins in the pool stage– and individual performances — points scored by the player.
Loyd has past experience with USA Basketball, having earned a gold medal as a member of the 2010 USA Under-17 National Team that went 8-0 and claimed the title at the inaugural FIBA U17 World Championship in Toulouse, France. The Notre Dame junior was the Americans’ top reserve at the 2010 U17 Worlds, averaging 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in eight games.
This year’s FIBA 3×3 World Championship was the second in history, following the first in 2012. The 24-team event, which is held every other year, included teams from the U.S.A., Andorra, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, host Russia, Spain, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda and Uruguay.