PEORIA — Former Illini Bluffs basketball star Hank Alvey is playing for Team USA in the 2026 FIBA 3×3 Nations League.
The international tournament includes men’s and women’s teams from USA, Canada, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Chile and Cayman Islands.
The FIBA 3×3 Nations League is a premier global development platform for under-23 basketball players. It is underway from June 27 through July 3 in Nunoa, Chile.
USA leads the men’s competition after a three-game sweep on Monday.
Team USA beat Argentina 21-16 in a game in which Alvey notched four points.
USA beat Puerto Rico 21-14 (Alvey with 2), then routed Cayman Islands 21-8 (Alvey with 3).
The 6-foot-9 Alvey, 20, led Illini Bluffs to 32-5 and 33-4 records and IHSA Elite 8 appearances in his final two prep seasons. He was an AP and IBCA First Team All-State selection and went on to Lehigh.
As a sophomore in 2025-26, he was part of a Lehigh team that went to the NCAA Tournament, where he scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a loss to Prairie View A&M.
Alvey and the six-player USA team can be seen in the 2026 FIBA 3×3 Nations League games, which stream live on YouTube.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star senior writer and sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: A former Illini Bluffs basketball star is playing for Team USA in 3-on-3
Reporting by Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
