On-court hustle

Gippsland's first official 3x3 Hustle tournament saw 203 junior players converging on Warragul Leisure Centre on Wednesday for the 3x3 Gippsland Street Hustle.

Across eight divisions from under nines to under 17s/19s, 56 teams played 126 games on four courts between the 9am tip-off and the 5pm finals.

Warragul Leisure Centre's two main courts were split into four 3x3 courts, and the pace never let up. Ten-minute games, a 12-second shot clock and first-to-21 finishes produced 2,074 points across the day, with every team guaranteed at least four games and the under nines playing a full five-game round robin before finals.
From the opening tip-off, the Street Hustle felt less like a junior tournament and more like a basketball party. Music pumped through the centre all day, changeovers were fast, and the energy courtside never dropped.

The tournament drew players aged seven to 17 from more than 20 towns and suburbs - from Warragul, Drouin, Trafalgar, Moe, Morwell and Traralgon to Bunyip, Pakenham, Neerim South and Meeniyan, and as far afield as Mornington, Wallan and Chirnside Park.

Around half of the field was local to Warragul, with roughly 90 players travelling in from across Gippsland and beyond.

Fifteen dedicated girls' teams took the court across the under 11, and 15 female divisions, alongside a mixed under nine division. Five of the eight champions went through the day undefeated: Super Sonics, Chalkies Soldiers, NaaaGood!, Vipers and Swish Kebabs. Super Sonics were the standout attacking side, going 5-0 in under 11 male division and scoring 73 points - the most of any team on the day.

Defence proved just as decisive as scoring - in under 15 male, three teams averaged more points per game than Vipers, but none could match their unbeaten record, while under nine champions Court Crushers took the title despite scoring fewer points than the teams that finished second and third.

Warragul Panthers (under 11 female) and Bulls (under 13 female) also claimed titles, both in divisions decided between teams with identical win records.

Adding to the occasion, Warragul's own Sophie Taylor, who has recently returned from representing Australia at the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup, was on hand to present medals to the finalists and champions in every division.

For the young players on court, it was a first-hand look at just how far 3x3 basketball can take them.

The Warragul Basketball Association has already announced it is intending to hold its next 3x3 Hustle event during the January 2027 school holidays, with details to be announced soon.
Final standings and results are available on the official FIBA 3x3 event page, and full event details can be found at warragulbasketball.org.au/play/3x3hustle