Head coach Jeff Conarroe and six members of the Colorado College men's basketball team will get a once in a lifetime opportunity when they represent USA Basketball later this month at the FIBA 3x3 U23 Nations League in Rancagua, Chile.

Launched in 2017, the men's and women's FIBA 3x3 Nations League features two age groups – U23 and U21 – with dozens of national federations competing in designated conferences with the goal of reaching the FIBA 3x3 Nations League Final in September.
 
"Our goal is to provide transformational experiences for our student-athletes through a championship culture mindset," Colorado College Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine said. "This type of opportunity is exactly that. We are proud and honored to watch our CC Tigers represent the USA on the global stage."
 
Conarroe will serve as an assistant coach for the USA team under Sydney Johnson, who was the head coach at Princeton from 2007-11 and Fairfield from 2011-19. The six players from Colorado College are rising senior Trey Crawford, rising juniors Devin Philio, Adrian Price and Scott Ruegg, and rising sophomores Dinari Boykin and Asher Nofziger.
 
"This is a tremendous opportunity for our student-athletes," Conarroe said. "Over the past year, our women's team and coaches, operations team and administration has helped our program grow a tremendous relationship with USA Basketball. Earlier this spring, our players participated in the training camp for our 3x3 national team as practice players. Their work ethic, attitude and contributions to camp only strengthened the relationship which led to this amazing opportunity to represent Colorado College and the USA in the FIBA 3x3 Nations League." 
 
The Tigers will fly to Miami, Fla., on Tuesday, July 18, for a pair of practice sessions before traveling to Rancagua (approximately 50 miles south of Santiago) on July 21. Following another practice session there, the team will compete in one 'stop' per day from July 24-26 and then again from July 28-30, before returning to the United States.
 
Each stop is considered a tournament. Each tournament consists of two three-team pools. USA Basketball will play the other two teams in its pool for a minimum of two games per day. The winners of the two pools will play each other in the final later in the day. This continues for all six stops with the pools rotating each day.
 
Teams receive points each day based on their order of finish (100 points for first, 80 for second, 70 for third, etc.). After first and second place, teams are ordered based on their record (and/or head-to-head/points scored if tied). At the end of the six stops, teams will have the total of their points added up to determine which countries win the league and qualify for the U23 Nations League Final, scheduled for Sept 13-15, in Mongolia.
 
"I am so excited for our group to not only put on the USA jersey but also to get a fantastic educational opportunity," Conarroe added. "Our program is about growth and this will be a significant contributor to the growth of these young men. We are grateful to USA Basketball for this opportunity."

Conarroe is set to enter his fourth season as head coach at Colorado College. He led the Tigers to a 12-14 overall record and 9-7 mark in the SCAC last season, guiding CC to the league's postseason tournament for the first time since 2018.
 
Boykin, the SCAC's First-Year Player of the Year and first-team all-conference selection this past season, led CC in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He also paced the team with 61 steals and finished second with 41 assists.
 
Ruegg was a third-team all-SCAC selection, while Crawford and Price were each named an honorable mention. Meanwhile, Philio tied for the team lead with 21 blocked shots and second with 5.3 rebounds per game, while Nofziger averaged 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in his first collegiate season.
 
"We are excited to have Colorado College represent USA Basketball in the Americas Conference of the 2023 FIBA 3x3 U23 Nations League," said Jay Demings, USA Basketball 3x3 director. "Colorado College has been very supportive of USA Basketball, especially in the 3x3 space having hosted the 2023 3X Nationals and supporting as the scrimmage squad for several of recent team trials. We're confident they'll represent the USA with pride."
 
The 2023 3x3 U23 Nations League will stream live on YouTube at www.youtube.com/fiba3x3.