In this guide
- Step 1 — count your courts as half courts
- Step 2 — set the slot
- Step 3 — divisions, then pools of four
- Worked example — 16 teams, 4 half courts, one morning
- The people a 3-on-3 day needs
- Rules sheet: one page for coaches and players
- How Play 2 Earn Sports supports this
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guides
Watch the video guide
Read the video transcript
A 3-on-3 day that runs on time
0:00 By the end of this video, you will have a plan for a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that runs on time. Every team plays at least four games, and the day ends with two champions. We will count your courts, set a slot, build pools that rest every team, and finish with Gold and Silver brackets. Then we show how Play 2 Earn Sports helps.
How do you organize a 3 on 3 basketball tournament?
0:23 Start with your courts. 3-on-3 is usually played on a half court, so one full court gives you two playing courts. A gym with two full courts gives you four. Number every half court, and use those numbers on the schedule, the signs and the scoresheets. Check that each one has a working basket and clear lines.
How long is a 3-on-3 basketball game?
0:42 Next, set the slot. A slot is the game length plus a short changeover. Game length, scoring and overtime come from your governing body's current rules, or your event rules. Here is a typical example.
0:56 It is illustrative, not a specific tournament. A fifteen minute game and a five minute changeover make a twenty minute slot. Time one real game at each age level.
Divisions and pools of four
1:06 Group teams into divisions by age, gender and level. Then split each division into pools of four. A pool of four gives every team three games. Here is the key to rest.
1:17 Let two pools take turns on the same pair of courts. While one pool plays, the other rests. So no team plays two games in a row.
A worked example
1:26 Now the worked example. Sixteen teams, a gym with two full courts, so four half courts. The teams are drawn into four pools of four. Pools A and B share courts one and two.
1:39 Pools C and D share courts three and four. In six turns of twenty minutes, from nine to eleven, all twenty-four pool games are played. At eleven, take a short seeding break. The top two teams in each pool go to an eight-team Gold bracket.
1:55 The bottom two go to an eight-team Silver bracket. So everyone keeps playing. From eleven twenty, Silver and Gold take turns, round by round. Every team gets a slot off between games.
2:07 Silver's final is at twelve forty, and Gold's final is at one. Add it up. Twenty-four pool games and fourteen bracket games make thirty-eight. The day finishes by one twenty.
2:18 Every team plays at least four games, and the finalists play six. In the bracket rounds, many court slots stay open. Keep them for overruns, a late team or an injury break. Or use them for a second division, with the same plan.
Write the tiebreakers first
2:34 Write one rules sheet before the day. Include the game length, the roster size, the tiebreaker order for pools and the check-in time. Send it with the schedule. Plan the people too. A check-in desk, one scorekeeper per court, officials as your event rules ask, and a runner who brings each result to the desk.
How Play 2 Earn Sports helps
2:55 Now, how Play 2 Earn Sports helps. Tournaments use round robin, groups or knockout formats. The free bracket generator builds single-elimination brackets for four, eight, sixteen or thirty-two teams, so you can make one for Gold and one for Silver. A saved bracket becomes a tournament where you schedule its games.
3:16 When you place or move a tournament game yourself, a court or team that is already booked is blocked. A game can be postponed before the new time is known. And referees can claim open tournament games in their sport that their level allows.
When a game moves on the day
3:30 Today, automatic change notices cover published league games. When a tournament game moves, send one clear message to both teams and the officials yourself. Include the new time, the court and the next game.
Try it with your own courts
3:43 Count your half courts, set the slot, let the pools take turns, and finish with Gold and Silver. The full day plan is on the page linked in the description. Try it with your own courts: Starter is free for clubs with up to 10 teams. Thanks for watching.
Step 1 — count your courts as half courts
3-on-3 is usually played on a half court, so one full court gives you two playing courts.
| Gym | Full courts | Half courts to plan with |
|---|---|---|
| One full court | 1 | 2 |
| Two full courts side by side | 2 | 4 |
| Outdoor park with three courts | 3 | 6 |
Number every half court (Court 1, Court 2 and so on) and use those numbers on the schedule, the signs and the scoresheets. Check that each half court has a working basket, clear lines and space between courts.
Step 2 — set the slot
A slot is the game length plus a short changeover. Game length, scoring and overtime come from your governing body's current rules or your event rules, so check them first.
Illustrative example, not a specific tournament.
| Part | Example |
|---|---|
| Game (time limit or first to a target score, per your rules) | 15 minutes |
| Changeover: teams off, next teams on, scoresheet handed over | 5 minutes |
| Slot | 20 minutes |
Time one real game at each age level before you publish, and use that number.
Step 3 — divisions, then pools of four
Divisions.
Group teams by age, gender and level, using the labels your event uses. Keep each division between eight and sixteen teams where you can.
Pools.
Pools of four give every team three games. Pools of three give two games each.
Rest.
Let two pools take turns on the same pair of courts. While one pool plays, the other rests, so no team plays back to back.
Worked example — 16 teams, 4 half courts, one morning
Illustrative example, not a specific tournament.
One division has sixteen teams and a gym with two full courts, so four half courts (C1 to C4). The slot is 20 minutes. Teams are drawn into four pools of four: A, B, C and D. Pools A and B share C1 and C2; pools C and D share C3 and C4.
Pool play, 9:00 to 11:00. Each pool plays one round (two games at once) per turn.
| Start | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 | A1 v A2 | A3 v A4 | C1 v C2 | C3 v C4 |
| 9:20 | B1 v B2 | B3 v B4 | D1 v D2 | D3 v D4 |
| 9:40 | A1 v A3 | A2 v A4 | C1 v C3 | C2 v C4 |
| 10:00 | B1 v B3 | B2 v B4 | D1 v D3 | D2 v D4 |
| 10:20 | A1 v A4 | A2 v A3 | C1 v C4 | C2 v C3 |
| 10:40 | B1 v B4 | B2 v B3 | D1 v D4 | D2 v D3 |
Seeding break, 11:00. Rank each pool by your written tiebreaker order. The top two in each pool go to Gold (eight teams). The bottom two go to Silver (eight teams). Seed each eight-team bracket: pool winners as seeds 1 to 4, runners-up as seeds 5 to 8, ranked by your rule, and enter them in seed order, 1 to 8: the bracket generator pairs 1 v 8, 4 v 5, 2 v 7 and 3 v 6, so the top two seeds can only meet in the final.
Brackets, 11:20 to 1:20.
| Start | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:20 | Silver quarterfinal | Silver quarterfinal | Silver quarterfinal | Silver quarterfinal |
| 11:40 | Gold quarterfinal | Gold quarterfinal | Gold quarterfinal | Gold quarterfinal |
| 12:00 | Silver semifinal | Silver semifinal | Open | Open |
| 12:20 | Gold semifinal | Gold semifinal | Open | Open |
| 12:40 | Silver final | Open | Open | Open |
| 1:00 | Gold final | Open | Open | Open |
Check the numbers.
| Check | Count | Fits? |
|---|---|---|
| Pool games | 4 pools × 6 = 24 | 24 games in 24 court slots (6 turns × 4 courts) |
| Bracket games | 2 brackets × (8 − 1) = 14 | 14 games in 24 court slots, 10 open |
| Whole day | 38 games | Pools 9:00–11:00, break, brackets 11:20–1:20 |
| Games per team | 3 pool + 1 to 3 bracket | Every team plays at least 4; finalists play 6 |
| Rest | One slot off between every game | Pools take turns; Silver and Gold alternate |
The open court slots in the afternoon are your weather and overrun time, or room for a second division.
The people a 3-on-3 day needs
- A desk. Check-in, rosters and the master schedule in one place.
- One scorekeeper per court, with a clock if your games are timed.
- Officials. Some events use one official per court; some use self-officiating in early rounds. Follow your event rules.
- A runner who carries results from each court to the desk after every game.
Rules sheet: one page for coaches and players
Write one page and send it with the schedule:
- the game length, scoring and overtime, copied from your governing body's current rules or your event rules,
- the roster size and substitutions,
- the tiebreaker order for pools, written before the first game (see how to write league tiebreaker rules),
- the check-in time and what happens if a team is late.
Checklist: before you publish the 3-on-3 schedule
- Half courts counted and numbered.
- Slot = game + changeover, timed at each age level.
- Divisions set; pools of four where possible.
- Pools take turns, so every team rests between games.
- Tiebreaker order and seeding rule written and sent.
- Gold and Silver brackets planned, so every team keeps playing.
- One scorekeeper per court; officials confirmed.
- Rules sheet based on your governing body's current rules.
Common mistakes, and the easy fix
- Planning by full courts. Count half courts; it doubles your capacity.
- One pool per court. A pool of four on one court means some teams play back to back. Let two pools share two courts instead.
- Deciding tiebreakers at the desk. Write them down before the first game.
- Filling every court in the afternoon. Keep open slots for overruns.
How Play 2 Earn Sports supports this
Play 2 Earn Sports runs your tournaments and your season in one place. For the season side, see scheduling gym time, and for event days, schedule pools and finals.
To draft the pool games, use the free round robin schedule generator; for the Gold and Silver knockouts, the tournament bracket generator builds single-elimination brackets for 3 to 32 teams and double-elimination brackets for 4 to 32 teams.
- Tournament formats. Tournaments in Play 2 Earn Sports use round robin, groups (pools) or knockout formats.
- Gold and Silver brackets. The free bracket generator builds single-elimination brackets for three to thirty-two teams, with byes for the top seeds, and double-elimination brackets for four to thirty-two teams, with an optional reset game, so you can make one eight-team bracket for Gold and one for Silver. A saved bracket becomes a Play 2 Earn Sports tournament where you schedule its games.
- The event itself. Create the event and take entries with the event details, then add divisions, teams and the game schedule inside your account.
- Clash checks when you place games. When you place or move a tournament game yourself, a court or team that is already booked is blocked.
- Delays. A tournament game can be postponed before the new time is known.
- Officials. Referees see an Open games list for tournament and club games in their sport, and can claim the games their level allows.
- When games move on the day. Today, automatic change notices are confirmed for league games. When a tournament game moves, send one clear message to both teams and the officials yourself.
See your 3-on-3 day built on your own courts.
Frequently asked questions
Count your half courts, set a short slot, group teams into divisions and pools of four, let two pools take turns on the same courts, then finish with Gold and Silver brackets. Write the rules sheet and tiebreakers before the day.
It depends on courts and hours. With four half courts and 20-minute slots, sixteen teams play 38 games in just over four hours. Add half courts or hours for more teams.
It depends on your governing body's current rules or your event rules. Many events use a short time limit or a target score. Add a changeover to get the slot.
Three on the court, plus any substitutes your rules allow. Check your governing body's current rules or your event rules and put the roster size on the rules sheet.
Pools of four, then Gold and Silver brackets. Every team plays at least four games, and the day ends with two champions.
The free bracket generator builds single-elimination brackets for three to thirty-two teams, with byes for the top seeds, and double-elimination brackets for four to thirty-two teams, with an optional reset game. For pool pairings, a four-team round robin shows every game in a pool.
Starter is free for clubs with up to 10 teams. Pro is $49.67 USD a month for 11 to 25 teams. Unlimited is $99.67 USD a month for 26 or more teams. For leagues, Starter is free for up to 10 clubs, League Pro is $97.85 USD a month for 11 to 25 clubs, and League Unlimited is $196.35 USD a month for 26 or more clubs. Every feature is on every plan, and players and parents are always included. See pricing.
Related guides
- League scheduling guides: every league scheduling guide in one place.
- How to schedule a pool play tournament
- How to write league tiebreaker rules
