Rahova’s Finest, alongside Bucharest Old School, is one of the well-established brands in 3×3 Romanian basketball and Sport Arena Streetball tournaments. In 2017, the team bond together by strong wires of long-lasting friendship, dating back to high school or even elementary school, is once again led by Cătălin Vlaicu, the Romanian number one player in the World Individual Rankings (# 92). A finalist at the end of the first European 3×3 League, Rahova’s Finest comes to the Bucharest Challenger in a classic formula – Cătălin Vlaicu, Alin Bordei, Alin Spahiu and Victor Constantin, aka Papaloukas. With three consecutive wins in the national 3×3 basketball Sport Arena Streetball Tour 2017, the boys from Rahova neighborhood have already had very good matches this season.
Star player: Cătălin Vlaicu
The European Champion (back in 2014) remains the only Romanian player within the first 100 in the world at 3×3 basketball. After having made the national 3×3 team for several seasons in a row, thus playing under different names in competition (like “Tricolorii”), “Sarma” returned to his beloved squad, joining the team’s hard core of players that kept it swinging for years, Tom and Ţiganu’. The center’s raw force and experience at the highest level of 3×3 basketball are important strengths, just as much as his ambition and strong personality on the field that bring out Vlaicu’s formidable warrior stamina, both against opponents and referees.
A heated duel is to be expected between Rahova’s Finest and Bucharest Old School, the teams that have claimed and faced off for supremacy in Romania this season, but also between Vlaicu’s squad and the top teams of the world which are due to arrive at the grounds set at University Square, from August 12th to August 13th.
Rahova has history on its side, having won the first Open 3×3 basketball tournament in Romania. And because – as the word goes – the world is small, and the world of 3×3 is even smaller, much like a close family – Victor Constantin can ask his brother for a last-minute tip, since Andrei Constantin was one of the four guys in the first Romanian quartet that ever qualified for a World Tour Final – back in 2012, in Miami, alongside Vlaicu, Santana and Sergiu Souca, from ChocoLoco.
Records also show that every single year, at least one Romanian team has made it at least as far as the semifinals at the Challenger. Vlaicu played only once at the Challenger with Rahova’s Finest and reached the quarters, back in 2013. But he did play a final in 2014 – with Tricolory, as well as a semifinal in 2016 – with Tricolorii Bucharest and another quarterfinal in 2012 – with Fine Irony.
Previous Raiffeisen Bank Bucharest Challenger participation: 2013, 2014
Best result: quarterfinals – 2013 and 2014
