Taylor to play in 2019 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship at Final Four

MINNEAPOLIS – Fresno State senior guard Deshon Taylor will compete for Team Mountain West in the 2019 Dos Equis National Championship in Minneapolis this weekend. The three-day competition, which starts Friday, will be played at the Mall of America with the NCAA's Final Four returning to the North Star State for the fourth time.

Taylor, a two-time All-Mountain West honoree, headlines Team Mountain West, which also includes Kris Clyburn (UNLV), J.D. Paige (Colorado State) and Quinn Taylor (Utah State). Team Mountain West will open pool play against Team ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) on Friday at 12 p.m. PT. The game will be streamed live on Twitter @3X3UHoops.

Taylor ranked in the top 10 in the MW in nine major season statistical categories – the most of any MW player. He averaged 17.9 points, 5.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals with a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio during his senior campaign. Taylor closed out his time as a Bulldog with the second-best career free throw percentage (476-572, 83.2 percent) in program history. He was also second with 476 career made free throws, tied for sixth in career 3-point field goal percentage (176-444, 39.6 percent) and seventh in career scoring with 1,482 points.

Last April, Fresno State was represented in the inaugural version of this national event with Jahmel Taylor also playing for Team Mountain West.

The field for the 2019 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship features nearly 100 All-Conference honorees, including 45 first-team selections, eight conference Players of the Year, eight conference Defensive Players of the Year, 11 USBWA All-District performers, nine conference tournament Most Outstanding Players and a Consensus Second-Team All-American.

Competition at the second annual event will be held Friday-Sunday at Minnesota's Mall of America. The tournament is comprised of all-star teams of seniors, who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility, representing all 32 Division I conferences. The teams will compete for a $150,000 prize pool, with the champions taking home $100,000, double the prize money from a year ago. Additionally, the winners will earn the right to compete in the 2019 USA Basketball 3x3 Open National Championship, scheduled for May 3-4 in Las Vegas.

Complete rosters, assigned pools and full schedule can be found in the attached PDFs.

Artist rendering of 2019 3X3U National Championship at Mall of America.

Artist rendering of 2019 3X3U National Championship at Mall of America.

Photo (courtesy Intersport): Artist rendering of the 2019 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, which will be played April 5-7, 2019 at the Mall of America in Minnesota.

All games of the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship will be carried live on Twitter or ESPN2. Pool play will begin at 12 p.m. PT on April 5, with 24 games streamed live exclusively on Twitter. Pool play will continue on April 6 at 6:30 a.m. PT with 24 more games streamed live exclusively on Twitter. Round of 16 and quarterfinal games will be streamed live exclusively on Twitter at 7:30 a.m. PT on April 7, with semifinal, consolation and championship games televised live on ESPN2 later that day at 12 p.m. PT. Returning to call all the action throughout the tournament will be the voice of FIBA 3x3 basketball, Kyle Montgomery, with Robbie Hummel of ESPN and Tate Frazier and Mark Titus of The Ringer's One Shining Podcast providing color commentary and sideline coverage.

Teams have been assigned into eight pools of four and each team will be guaranteed three pool play games, earning $1,000 for every victory on Friday and Saturday. The top two teams in each pool will move on to Sunday's knockout stage, where the stakes skyrocket. The championship team will take home $100,000, while the runners-up will share $2,000 and the third-place team will win an additional $1,000.

Admission to the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship is free and fans are encouraged to be part of the atmosphere all weekend long at Mall of America.

For more information on the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, including event updates, details, rules and more, follow us on Twitter at @3X3UHoops or online at www.3X3UHoops.com.

Fresno State (23-9) has won at least 20 games in each of the past four seasons (five of the past six seasons) and reached the MW semifinals for the third time in the last four seasons.

Fresno State first-year head coach Justin Hutson won more games (23) than any Fresno State head men's basketball coach in their first season in program history and Hutson had the best record (23-9) of all first-time Division I head coaches in 2018-19.

2019-20 Fresno State men's basketball season tickets are on sale now by calling 559-278-3647, visiting the Bulldog Ticket Office and online at www.GoBulldogs.com.

2019 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship – Team Mountain West
Kris Clyburn, G, UNLV
J.D. Paige, G, Colorado State
Deshon Taylor, G, Fresno State
Quinn Taylor, F, Utah State

"Just the Ticket to Build our Community" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please call 559-278-7160.

Fresno State Athletics

Taylor to play in 2019 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship at Final Four

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