MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – College of Charleston senior forward
Jarrell Brantley (Columbia, S.C.) and Team Colonial Athletic Association were crowned the 2019 Dos Equis 3X3U National Champions on Sunday at the Mall of America.
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Brantley and fellow All-CAA First Team selections Justin Wright-Foreman of Hofstra, Vasa Pusica of Northeastern and Devontae Cacok of UNCW won the event's coveted $100,000 grand prize. The CAA quartet went 3-0 in Pool G play to advance to the knockout round. They posted a perfect 7-0 record and outscored their opponents by 43 points in that stretch.
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In front of approximately 2,000 fans surrounding the four levels of the Mall of America Rotunda and an ESPN2 national audience, the Colonial used a balanced perimeter and inside game to overwhelm its opponents throughout the tournament.
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In the championship game on Sunday, Team Colonial defeated Team West Coast Conference, 21-13, after wins over Team Southern Conference (W, 21-13) in the Round of 16, Team Conference USA (W, 21-19) in the quarterfinals and Team Mid-American Conference (W, 21-19) in the semifinals.
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Brantley had eight points against the WCC and his two late free throws clinched the tournament title for the CAA. Including $1,000 for each of their three pool play wins, Wright-Foreman, Brantley, Cacok and Pusica will share $103,000. They have also earned the right to compete in the 2019 USA Basketball 3x3 Open National Championship in Las Vegas next month.
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In seven 3X3U games played, Brantley scored 34 points including three 3-pointers, brought down 29 rebounds, dished out a team-high nine assists, four steals and team-best three blocked shots. He also shot 40.4 percent from the field and 90.9 percent from the free throw line.
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Brantley, Pusica and Cacok were also winners on Friday as members of the East Team that defeated the West Team, 110-105, in the Reese's College All-Star Game at U.S. Bank Stadium – site of the 2019 NCAA Final Four. In that game, Brantley recorded eight points and game-high 15 rebounds in 21 minutes of action.
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He is only the second CofC Basketball player in program history to play in the College All-Star Game next to the school's all-time leading scorer and 2011 NBA Draft pick Andrew Goudelock. Brantley was also the second-ever player to participate in the 3X3U National Championship next to former star and current NBA Charlotte Hornets 2-Way Player
Joe Chealey in 2018.
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In the last decade, College of Charleston has had success on the national stage at Final Four tournament events hosted by Intersport as Goudelock was crowned Mercedes Benz 3-Point Champion in Houston in 2011, and now, Brantley as 3X3U National Champion in Minneapolis.
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TEAM COLONIAL RESULTS
Game 1 – CAA 22, Summit League 12
Game 2 – CAA 21, Big 12 Conference 18
Game 3 – CAA 21, Conference USA 16
Round of 16 – CAA 21, Southern Conference 13
Quarterfinals – CAA 21, Conference USA 19
Semifinals – CAA 21, Mid-American Conference 19
Championship Game – CAA 21, West Coast Conference 13
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