Men's Basketball 7/20/2025 4:00:00 PM

Men’s Basketball’s Piggé Helps Lead USA 3x3 to Silver Medal at World University Games

BOCHUM, Germany – Harvard Men's Basketball rising senior guard Chandler Piggé helped lead the United States men's 3x3 basketball team to a silver medal at the 2025 FISU World University Games in Bochum, Germany at the Jahrhunderthalle from July 17-20.

"It was an amazing opportunity to play," Piggé said. "We came in with a great team and great staff, and I was able to play with all Ivy League guys. Guys that I compete with throughout the year, but being together for this one week, and play this game together, it's a really special game. It was really fun, and I think we had a great time, meeting different people and competing together as a team. So, I'm very proud of us, and I wouldn't change a bit."

With 3x3 making its debut at the World University Games, the USA won Group A to open its time at the event behind victories over Chile (21-9) and Italy (19-12). The Americans then topped Poland (21-14) in the quarterfinals and the Czech Republic (19-17) in the semifinals. In the gold medal game, the U.S. fell to Lithuania (21-16) in a back-and-forth contest.

"It really means something different to be able to have the name USA, but also to be here representing Harvard was to me something special," Piggé said. "I always think about when I'm competing at Harvard, represent for the name on the front, and the back, and although Harvard wasn't on the front, in this instance, they were still in my heart. I wanted to represent them well, Coach Amaker and the rest of our staff really well, and I hope I did that."

At the event, Piggé averaged 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.4 highlights (a combination of key assists, drives, dunks, blocks, and buzzer beaters) per game, while hitting 14-of-19 shots (73.7 percent) from 1-point distance. Piggé posted two points, two rebounds, and four highlights vs. Chile, five points, three boards, and three highlights vs. Italy, six points, two boards, and four highlights vs. the Czech Republic, and six points, six rebounds, and six highlights vs. Lithuania.

Piggé – who lived in Japan for the first 13 years of his life before moving to Germany for five years prior to coming to the U.S. for a postgraduate year at Phillips Exeter Academy in 2021-22 – played on an international stage for the third straight summer. In 2023, he competed with the Crimson in the program's foreign tour of Canada, and in 2024, he participated in the US-China Summer Basketball Exchange at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

"I'm very, very grateful that my friends and family could make the trips up here to see me play," Piggé said. "Even spend some time with me and be able to go out to eat or whatever may be. But I have so many friends that really everybody at this point is family. I'm just so grateful. Shout out to all my family and friends that came out to watch, and all those online as well back in the U.S. and in Japan. I'm very thankful. I'm very grateful to have a circle behind me supporting me."

This past season at Harvard, Piggé earned Honorable Mention All-Ivy, gained CSC Academic All-District, won the team's Raymond P. Lavietes Most Valuable Player Award, and served the program as a captain. The only member of the Crimson to start all 27 games, he averaged 13.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.7 steals, and 33.4 minutes per game, while scoring in double figures 22 times. Piggé has steadily increased his production over his career after averaging 1.9 points per game as a first-year in 2022-23 and 8.1 points per game as a sophomore in 2023-24.

"It was definitely fuel to the fire for me come Ivy League season, I'll tell you that," Piggé said. "We still have our goals that we have for this year to be an Ivy Championship team and win. It's a much faster game, much higher pace. So, I'm going to take that back to our guys and make sure we're ready to go for this season."

The U.S. men's 3x3 team featured four student-athletes from the Ivy League, including Piggé, Columbia rising senior guard Avery Brown, Princeton rising junior guard Jackson Hicke, and Yale rising senior forward Nick Townsend. FIBA rules applied for the event.