Three Villanova stars hit the big stage, representing the U.S. in 3x3 basketball

Villanova forward Maddy Siegrist felt like she was a freshman in high school during her tryout for the U.S. women’s 23-and-under 3x3 basketball team, dealing with nerves and anxiety that came with competing against other college stars.

“I can’t really remember the last time I tried out for something,” Siegrist said. “You’re like a little kid again, wondering if I may get my name called. Luckily, I was the first one called.”

USA Basketball contacted Villanova coach Denise Dillon about inviting Siegrist to tryouts. The 6-foot-1 forward knew she couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a chance to represent her country.

After Villanova’s summer session, Siegrist flew to Miami, where she spent three days participating in tryouts. She was among six college stars selected to the 3x3 team.

The team is competing in the International Basketball Federation three-on-three tournament from Aug. 13-19 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and the senior isn’t the only Wildcat there. On the men’s side, Villanova’s Eric Dixon and Chris Arcidiacono were also invited to compete on the U.S. men’s 23-and-under 3x3 team.

“It’s like a sense of familiarity,” Siegrist said. “We’re pretty close to the men’s team back at school, then having two guys that I know here just makes it so much more exciting, and we’re all representing Villanova. We were talking about that the other day, how cool that is.”

This is the first time Siegrist has competed on the international level, while Dixon and Arcidiacono played on the U23 national team last summer in France. They finished with a 4-2 record in the 2021 Nations League and were invited back by USA Basketball to compete on the 2022 3x3 team.

Siegrist mentioned it was a bit of an adjustment to get used to the FIBA rules. The three-on-three games are played on a halfcourt with a 10-minute game clock and 12-second shot clock, so it was a faster pace compared to what she was used to.

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“You’ve really got to play with your mind, and you’ve got to play really smart,” Siegrist said. “Just getting prepared, we were playing outside in the heat, trying to get acclimated to that a little bit.”

Arcidiacono, a senior guard, said the competition on the international level is played physically, especially in a three-on-three setting, with more intensity on defense.

“We practiced a couple times a day,” said Arcidiacono, a Wildcats reserve last season. “We were learning different types of strategies that you might use that’s different than five-on-five, like the way to defend.”

The women’s team has won each of its last nine games, beating Puerto Rico, Chile, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic, and the men’s team had just two losses, against Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, out of eight games played through Monday.

The three Wildcats players are soaking in the experiences that come with being in another country — the architecture, the different foods, and everyone speaking Spanish.

“It’s always eye-opening for me,” said Dixon, who averaged 9.1 points and 6.4 rebounds last season. “I get to travel and play basketball. It’s a humbling experience, and I’m still learning about it every day. My biggest takeaway is to see a different culture.”

All of them also hope to improve their game and carry those changes into the Villanova season.

After former men’s head coach Jay Wright retired, Kyle Neptune, who was the team’s assistant coach for eight seasons, earned the chance to lead the program.

Dixon, a redshirt junior forward who played in all 38 games last season, believes the Wildcats have a bunch of players ready to step up following the departures of Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels to the NBA.

“It’s definitely different,” Dixon said. “All those three [Wright, Gillespie and Samuels] have taught us so much that we’ll be able to fill the void.”

Siegrist, who averaged 25.3 points and 9.2 rebounds last season, hopes this experience will improve her skills so she can set screens for her teammates or cut better.

For now, the three are learning to work with new coaches and teammates. The winners of the Americas Conference will advance to the Nations League finals, where they’ll compete against 10 other conference winners. The finals are set for Sept. 14-16 in Constanta, Romania.

“It’s like you’re like a pro,” Siegrist said. “It’s such a cool opportunity to be able to represent not only my school, but the country as well, just trying to take it all in.”