McGowens Helps USA to Gold Medal at U23 3x3 World Cup

Former Nebraska men’s basketball player Trey McGowens earned a gold medal on Sunday, leading Team USA to a gold medal in the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup on Sunday in Lublin, Poland.

McGowens, who played at Nebraska for two seasons (2020-22), was named MVP of the Tournament and named to the Team of the Tournament, as the United States completed a 7-0 tournament with three wins on Sunday.

He was joined by fellow NBA G League players Matthew Hurt, Jalen Lecque and Bryce Wills on the gold medal squad.  McGowens led all tournament players with 54 points during the competition.

He carried the USA to a 21-3 win over Israel in the final, scoring 10 points, including a pair of 2-pointers, and playing strong defense.  Earlier Sunday, McGowens had four points in a 21-10 win over Germany, which won the bronze medal, in the semifinals and had a team-high 10 points in a 21-13 win over Romania in the quarterfinals.

McGowens, who was with the New Jersey Nets Summer League roster, spent the 2022-23 season with the Long Island Nets in the G League, appearing in 23 games as a rookie.   

At Nebraska, McGowens was a two-year starter for the Huskers (2020-22). He averaged 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game at NU while he was often assigned to the opponent’s top perimeter scoring threat.

His best season at NU was in 2020-21 when he averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He finished fifth in the Big Ten Conference in steals per game and ranked second on the squad in both scoring and assists in 2020-21. McGowens played in just 15 games in 2021-22 after suffering a broken foot early in the season. As a collegian, he totaled nearly 1,200 points, 200 steals and 400 rebounds including his two seasons at Pittsburgh (2018-20).