George Fire Win Title at Red Bull 3X West Regional in Oakland
One day after Georgia Fire (5-0), an Atlanta team featuring Bernard “Paul” Parks, Joshua Montgomery, Devon Baulkman and Patrick Meyers, won the 3X Oakland Qualifier, the team repeated as champions at the Red Bull USA Basketball 3X West Regional at Soldiertown Gym in Oakland on Sunday, Oct. 24.
“The competition, it was tough,” Parks said. “It wasn't easy. But for us, we've learned the strategy of Red Bull 3X and have been playing it for a minute. We understood the assignment. We played as a team, played as a unit. Even on the mishaps that we had, we just stuck together. We knew coming all the way from Atlanta we had one goal to accomplish, and that was to win both days.”
In the championship game, Georgia Fire earned a 21-12 win over Red Bull (4-1), a squad comprised of Marcus Bell, Larry Boyd, Ryan Carter and Chris Staples.
While Georgia Fire edged out Team Swish (3-1) 21-19 in its semifinal, Red Bull earned its spot in the finals with a 21-14 win over 3BALL Olympic Club (3-1).
In the quarterfinals, all four No. 1 finishers won their matchups against No. 2 seeds. The eventual champion Georgia Fire defeated Team Juggernaut (1-2) 21-12; Team Swish topped LA Legends (1-2) 21-14; Red Bull won 21-14 against ShootersgoneshootATL (1-2); and 3BALL Olympic Club beat DOA (1-2) 21-15.
Having traveled from Atlanta to compete in California this past weekend, Georgia Fire earlier this year claimed titles in Memphis and Atlanta.
“We're definitely looking forward to playing next year, playing in more qualifiers to get the experience in different states,” Parks said. “Alanta and Memphis, those were the only two we used to do, because they were close, but now that we know more about it, we are just really excited for next year – maybe do five or six of them in states we haven’t been to.”
The back-to-back events in Oakland were the final stops on the 2021 Red Bull 3X event calendar. While the West Regional was the fourth regional championship, an additional 20 Red Bull 3X Local Qualifying Tournaments were played throughout the country this past summer and fall.
The next event on the 3X calendar is the 2022 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Nationals, which helps develop and identify talent for USA Basketball 3x3 Men’s and Women’s National Teams.
Red Bull 3X USA Basketball West Regional Men’s Results
Final
Georgia Fire 21, Red Bull 12
Semifinals
Georgia Fire 21, Team Swish 19
Red Bull 21, 3BALL Olympic Club 14
Quarterfinals
Georgia Fire 21, Team Juggernaut 12
Team Swish 21, LA Legends 14.
Red Bull 21, ShootersgoneshootATL 14
3Ball Olympic Club 21, DOA 15