Three-on-3 basketball has been around for a long time, commonly as a pick-up game. As of late, the sport has gained popularity with the creation of the Big3 – a league created by Ice Cube featuring Hall of Famers and World Champions, not to mention 3-on-3 is now an Olympic sport as of the 2020 summer Olympics.
The sport is also thriving on the Central Coast with The 3-on-3 Youth Basketball League founded by Amaurys Fermin.
"We put together an idea of how we can bring the Central Coast to an entertaining part of basketball where we wanted the kids to learn how to pass, how to cut, how to be vocal, how to have leadership skills on the court," Fermin said. "How were we going to put that together – we decided to combine the North County and the South County guys."
The league is divided into three divisions, Pee Wee, Junior, and Pro with players ranging from ages 8-14.
"It’s very competitive. Instead of 5-on-5, it’s 3 on 3, you have to cut more and play harder," said Jamal Howard, a 12-year-old player in the league.
"I like 3-on-3 more because the you get the ball more, there’s more open space on the court to do more things. I’ve learned to get to the ball more and ask for the ball instead of just standing there," said David Andrade, a 12-year-old player in the league.
