BASKETBALL purists may turn their nose up at 3x3 basketball, but there was a time cricket traditionalists' did the same to T20 cricket.
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Basketball's abbreviated format is nowhere near that far down the track, but it has taken the first steps, holding world championships and being soon to feature at an Olympics.
Long-time Hawks swingman Tim Coenraad breathed fresh life into the latter part of his career in representing his country in the format, so it's not a hard sell.
"It's pretty much basketball's T20, it's hard, it's fast, it's up tempo, 10-minute games and constant action. There's not much time to take a breath," Coenraad said.
"One of things I really like about it is we're starting to develop some genuine pathways for 3x3 like what we have in the typical five-on-five. We're talking representative basketball, state, national and that sort of thing.
"It's an Olympic sport now so we need to start taking it a little bit seriously. If a kid just misses out on that five-on-five representative team, 3x3 might be an extra avenue for them.
"It's really been a great way for me to expand my game. I got bitten by the bug as soon as I played my first tournament and it's been a bit of a fairytale for me to represent my country and win medals for Australia."
Ultimately though, the 300-game NBL veteran's real passion is getting kids active, something he's turned even more time to through his business Rebound Nutrition.
If the short form can achieve that objective and get more kids playing sport - whatever the format - he's happy to lend his weight to it, starting with this Saturday's 3x3 Hustle at the Snakepit.
"Rebound [Nutrition] is all about giving kids opportunities to stay active and the 3x3 Hustle is just another way to get kids active and get them some competition because I know a lot of competition has broken down due to COVID," Coenraad said.
"The Street Hustles have a had a lot of success in other places so I'm trying to bring that 3x3 flavour to the Illawarra. I love the format and any means for kids to get more opportunities to play basketball and be active is a good thing."
While he's throwing himself into his passion projects, Coenraad's professional future remains uncertain after he was overlooked for a spot on incoming Hawks coach Brian Goorjian's roster for next season.
It brings to an unbroken decade-long career with the club - that's seen him climb to third on the club's all-time appearances list with more than 300 games in a Hawks singlet - to an end.
Whether it spells the end of a stellar career remains to be seen but, with next season already postponed until January, he's not any rush.
"Right now I'm just weighing up all different options and considering different avenues," Coenraad said.
"I'm looking to see what's best for my future and I'll make a decision in the next few months."
Interested teams and players can register for the 3x3 hustle in the U12, U14 and U16 categories at 3x3hustle.com