SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men's basketball seniors Josip Vrankic and PJ Pipes have been selected to participate in the 2022 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, scheduled for April 1-3 at The Sugar Mill in New Orleans. 

Sixty-four players, who have elected to begin their professional careers, will represent all 32 Division I conferences and compete for their share of $150,000 – one of the largest prize purses at any FIBA 3x3 sanctioned events – by teaming up with other aspiring pro prospects from around the country. Each conference will be paired with another, forming 16 four-man rosters that will be separated into four pools. Vrankic and Pipes will represent the West Coast Conference alongside the Pac-12 as part of the B-ball After Dark (B.A.D.) Boys Team (see table reference below).

A fifth-year outgoing senior, Vrankic just put a bow on his historic career by finishing third in program history with 1,817 career points. A four time all-conference selection, he repeated as a first team All-WCC pick this season despite battling through illness which sidelined him for eight games. After returning to the hardwood, it didn't take long for the big man to return to his old form as he finished sixth in the league in both points per game (15.6) and field goal percentage (56.0). Vrankic started 25 games to secure the top spot in program history for career starts with 131. 

Pipes, who transferred to the Broncos after a four-year career at Green Bay, had a major impact for Santa Clara in his lone season in the red and white. The Woodridge, Ill., product averaged 12.0 points per game while shooting 35 percent from 3-point range. He had a terrific run late in the season in which he averaged 20.8 points over the span of five league games to help the Broncos lock up their third-place finish in the conference standings. During that run, he averaged 3.2 3-pointers per game while shooting 53.3 percent from beyond the arc. 

Teams will play each squad in their respective pool on April 1 and 2 before all 16 will head to the knockout stage on April 3, with the top two teams from each pool receiving byes to the quarterfinals. The winning team from each pool play game will win $1,000, victories in the first two knockout rounds will net another $1,000, a quarterfinal win is worth $5,000, a semifinal triumph is another $10,000, while the team that takes home the Tournament title will add $50,000 to their winnings. 

The paired conferences, and their respective pools, can be found below:

This year, the Tournament will once again receive non-stop coverage via Twitter and on ESPN networks. Every second of the 2022 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship will be available to a national audience beginning with pool play games on Friday and Saturday, April 1-2, and knockout rounds on Sunday, April 3.

Kyle Montgomery, the voice of FIBA 3x3, and Robbie Hummel, current ESPN and Big Ten Network analyst, will be behind the mic calling games all weekend long. Tate Frazier and Mark Titus of the Titus & Tate Podcast will also suit up as the hosts of the Dos Equis Lounge to provide commentary, postgame interviews and more over the three-day experience.

Through the first three years of the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, at least 200 players that have participated in the event have signed professional contracts.

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.