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PROVO — Perhaps if things had wound up slightly different, Kyle Collinsworth would be preparing to lead USA Basketball's bid for Olympic gold at the Paris Summer Games this summer.
Instead, he'll cheer happily from the sidelines while a former BYU teammate and Cougar hoops legend takes the honor.
Former BYU superstar Jimmer Fredette was named to the four-man roster Tuesday for the upcoming Paris Olympics by USA Basketball, joining Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis.
Other players were considered, including some from the NBA, according to the Associated Press. But USA Basketball opted to stick to what built the program that didn't qualify for the inaugural men's Olympic tournament.
"It's the way that we wanted it to be," Fredette said. "I think it's what USA Basketball was looking for and it's what we were hoping for."
The quartet have competed together since the 2022 FIBA 3x3 men's AmeriCup, where they won the gold medal. They also went on to win gold at the 2023 Pan American Games and silver at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Cup.
But at one point, USA Basketball tried to recruit Fredette's former BYU teammate, nicknamed "Mr. Triple Double" for setting the NCAA record in the category with six in 2014-15. The only problem? Collinsworth was still playing professionally in Japan, and he wasn't quite ready to give up his pro pursuits in a league where he played for Seahorses Mikawa and San-en NeoPhoenix from 2020-23.
"I was a little busy," the former Provo High star deadpanned, "and didn't want to spend all of my offseason playing 3x3. But I considered doing it."
These days, Collinsworth lives in Utah County with his wife, former BYU track star Shea Martinez-Collinsworth, and the couple's two children. He does private health coaching and also runs a club program based in south Utah County at Defensive Love that offers skill development and mentoring, and has worked with BYU women's basketball standouts Lauren Gustin, Amari Whiting and Kailey Woolston — as well as former Provo High coach Kenny Hardy, among others — in the effort.
But this summer, he'll be glued to his television watching Fredette and Team USA go for gold.
"I'm pumped for Jimmer," Collinsworth said. "It'll be fun to watch him, and it's pretty awesome he gets to represent the USA. He's been wanting to do that for a while, and I'm pumped he gets to do it."
3x3 basketball was first introduced as an official Olympic sport at the 2020 in Tokyo (played in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Latvia won the gold medal in the men's competition, while the United States took home the inaugural gold with a win over the Russian Olympic Committee in the women's competition with a roster consisting of Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.
The game is similar to the 5-on-5 game played in the NBA, college basketball and around the world, but is played on a half-court with a 10-minute game clock and 12-second shot clock. Play is continuous, meaning teams "clear" the ball behind the 2-point line following each made basketball, defensive rebound or steal.
The first team to 21 points via 1-point field goals or 2-pointers from beyond the arc wins, or the leading team when time expires.
"The biggest thing is you have to be in crazy good shape; it's very fast," Collinsworth said. "Even though it's half-court, the cardio is off the charts. There's a lot of strategy that goes behind it, too. That's why a lot of countries are good at it. It's really a completely different game. The way it's played is very different from 5-on-5; it's pretty fast paced and fun to watch. But very different."
The Paris Summer Games are scheduled for July 26-Aug. 11, with 3x3 competition set for July 30-Aug. 5 at Place de la Concorde in the French capital.
