RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Lesley Varner II, who played for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men's basketball team from 2016-20, has been selected to participate in the 2021 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, scheduled for April 2-4 at The Pavilion in Indianapolis.
 
Sixty-four players who have elected to begin their professional careers will represent all 32 Division I conferences and compete for their share of $150,000 – one of the largest prize purses at any FIBA 3x3 sanctioned event – by teaming up with other aspiring pro prospects from around the country. This year, each conference will be paired with another based on geographic region, comparable KenPom preseason rankings and conference history at the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship. In addition, all 16 teams will be separated in one of two pools, meaning more guaranteed games and more chances for players to take home their share of the $150,000 prize pool. Varner is one of four players that will be part of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC)/Mountain Team.
 
Last spring, Varner led a WAC squad that included Grand Canyon's Carlos Johnson, New Mexico State's Trevelin Queen and California Baptist's De'jon Davis to victory in the Online 3x3U Tournament, with champions decided by fan voting on twitter.
 
A 2020 All-WAC First Team selection, Varner is the second UTRGV player to participate, following in the footsteps of Terry Winn III, who represented UTRGV and the WAC in 2019.
 
As a senior in 2019-20, Varner averaged 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 43.5 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from behind the arc and 87.1 percent from the foul line. He ranked 29^th in the NCAA and second in the WAC in free throw percentage (87.1), 124^th in the NCAA and second in the WAC in free throws made (122), 141^st in the NCAA and fifth in the WAC in steals per game (1.53), 161^st in the NCAA and third in the WAC in total steals (46), 197^th in the NCAA and third in the WAC in points per game (15.6), 198^th in the NCAA and fourth in the WAC in field goal percentage (43.5), 216^th in the NCAA and third in the WAC in total points (469), and 220^th in the NCAA and second in the WAC in free throw attempts (140). He led UTRGV in scoring 13 times, rebounding 15 times and assists three times. Varner reached double-figures in scoring 21 times, including 12 games of 20+ points, two of which were 30+ point performances. He also reached double-figures in rebounding three times while recording two double-doubles.
 
For his career, Varner finished with 1,182 points, the 16^th-highest total in program history.
 
The only player to start all 16 WAC contests for UTRGV in 2019-20, Varner averaged 17.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 44.6 percent from behind the arc and 89.0 percent from the foul line in conference play. He ranked third in the WAC in scoring, second in free throw shooting, third in three-point shooting, fourth in steals, fifth in defensive rebounding (4.9), seventh in rebounding, tied for ninth in three-pointers made (25), and 14^th in field goal percentage.
 
Teams will play each squad in their respective pool on April 2 and 3 before all 16 will head to the knockout stage on April 4, with the top two teams from each pool receiving byes to the quarterfinals. The winning team from each pool play game will win $1,000, victories in the first two knockout rounds will net another $1,000, a quarterfinal win is worth $5,000, a semifinal triumph is another $10,000, while the team that takes home the Tournament title will add $50,000 to their winnings.  
 
The paired conferences, and their respective pools, can be found below:
 

Pool A	Pool B
America East / MAAC	ACC / Big South
American / C-USA	ASUN / Sun Belt
Big 12 / Southland	Big Ten / MAC
Big East / A-10	Colonial / Northeast
Big Sky / Big West	Mountain West / WAC
Horizon League / Missouri Valley	Pac-12 / WCC
Ivy League / Patriot League	SEC / SoCon
MEAC / SWAC	Summit League / Ohio Valley

 
This year, the Tournament will once again receive non-stop coverage via Twitter and on ESPN2. Every second of the 2021 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship will be available to a national audience beginning with pool play games on Friday and Saturday, April 2-3, and knockout rounds on Sunday, April 4. Twitter will be the exclusive home of pool play games, as well as the first three knockout rounds. ESPN2 will air the semifinal and championship contests.
 
The voice of FIBA 3x3 Basketball, Kyle Montgomery, returns to the 3X3U airwaves alongside NCAA All-American, NBA Draft pick, ESPN analyst and 3x3 Olympic hopeful Robbie Hummel to call every game of the 2021 Tournament.Tate Frazier and Mark Titus of the Titus & Tate Podcast will also suit up as the hosts of the Dos Equis Lounge to provide commentary, postgame interviews and more over the three-day experience. 
 
The Big Ten Conference team of Vince Edwards, Robert Johnson, Nate Mason and Jae'Sean Tate won the inaugural Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship in 2018. In 2019, the team from the Colonial Athletic Association – which was made up first-team All-Conference performers Jarrell Brantley, Devontae Cacok, Vasa Pusica and Justin Wright-Foreman – took home the grand prize. Through the first two years of the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, at least 191 players that have participated in the event have signed professional contracts.
 
The Tournament has created COVID-19 protocols that are consistent with local guidelines and designed to maximize the health and safety of participating players. The plan includes multiple rounds of testing for participating players, along with physical distancing recommendations and other health and safety measures that adhere to local regulations.
 
For more information on the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, including event updates, details, rules and more, follow us on Twitter at @3X3UHoops or online at 3X3UHoops.com.

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