Former KU Jayhawk Chalmers, KSU Wildcat Beasley fall short in Big3 title contest
Former Kansas Jayhawks star Mario Chalmers and former Kansas State standout Michael Beasley will have to settle for second place in Ice Cube’s Big3 League this season.
Beasley, selected as MVP of the entire 3-on-3 league Friday in a vote of the league’s players and coaches, scored 28 points while Chalmers hit three 3-pointers and contributed nine points in 3’s Company’s 50-47 loss to Bivouac in Sunday’s championship game at TD Garden in Boston.
The 3’s Company team rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit and outscored Bivouac 34-24 the final half.
Beasley, a 35-year-old power forward who played at K-State during a one-and-done 2007-08 season, hit 11 of 17 shots and grabbed 12 rebounds. Chalmers, a 38-year-old combo guard who won a national title at KU in 2008, went 3-of-6 from 3-point range with four rebounds, one assist and three turnovers.
Gerald Green scored 18 points, Garlon Green 13 and Corey Brewer 10 for Bivouac.
Led by Beasley, 3’s Company grabbed a 47-46 advantage down the stretch. In the Big3 format, the game’s winner was the first team to 50 points. Brewer gave Bivouac the lead again with a pair of free throws and then came up big with a steal on the ensuing possession that helped set up a game-winning bank shot by Garlon Green.
Chalmers has been part of the Big3 (3-on-3 league) since 2019 when he was taken 22nd overall in the league’s draft. Chalmers finished the regular season fourth in the league in 3-pointers made (13 of 30). Beasley has been in the league since 2022.
LWOsports.com’s Shane Lang wrote this of Beasley’s play on Sunday: “It was almost a foregone conclusion that Beasley would put up another monster game and he did. He put up yet another double-double as he had 28 points and 12 rebounds. This is following a double-double last week in the semifinal game when he had an amazing 32 points and 16 rebounds. Beasley was getting good looks all game and put shots through with ease. In fact, he’s been doing that pretty much all season as he averaged 21.3 points per game and took home the Big3 MVP. His great efforts in the championship game though weren’t enough for 3’s Company to overcome multiple good performances by Bivouac. Beasley put on a show and has cemented himself as a superstar in this league.”
