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PROVO — Arielle Mackey-Williams was already spending plenty of time on an airplane — going home to her native New Zealand for a few weeks before BYU's preseason trip to Italy in August — that she decided to have a little fun.
In one of her Instagram posts, the rising junior guard marked her location as "Spain," an inside joke with some of her teammates that would, in fairness, be a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of her frequent flier miles.
Her next stop, though, is no joke.
Mackey-Williams will represent her native country at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour — Edmonton stop, which opens Saturday against the United States. Every pool game, including the Tall Ferns' 11:15 a.m. MDT tipoff Saturday through the July 30 final, will be streamed live on the FIBA 3x3 YouTube channel.
The full schedule for the weekend's event can be found on the FIFA 3x3 website. Host Canada is considered the favorite for the Edmonton stop of the FIBA 3x3 Women's Series; New Zealand will play the United States and Germany in Pool D play.
"To be able to represent my country is a huge honor, and something I'm really grateful to be a part of," Mackey-Williams told KSL.com. "I play for my community, for my family who have sacrificed a lot for me, and it's something that I feel privileged to be a part of. To represent your country in an international tournament is really awesome."
The rise of 3x3 basketball has pushed the sport to new heights, both in the United States and around the world. Though not a new sport, the move to install 3x3 men's and women's basketball in the Olympic program ahead of the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo has provided hundreds of opportunities for basketball players, including Jimmer Fredette, who helped Team USA to the silver medal at the most recent FIBA 3x3 World Cup.
It's a faster-paced game, with four players for each three-man (or woman) active roster, played in a single period of 10 minutes with a sudden death at 21 points.
It's also a more physical game, something Mackey-Williams enjoys more for her physical style of play that was showcased as she made arguably the biggest jump in head coach Amber Whiting's first season at BYU.
"I am super proud and excited for Ari to have the chance to represent New Zealand and BYU on the world stage," Whiting said in a school news release. "She has been working incredibly hard this summer to refine her game and I am excited to see her compete on this stage and show out for her country."
The 5-foot-9 guard averaged just 2.2 points in 7.7 minutes per game as a freshman, but started 24 of 32 games while scoring 8.8 points on 41% shooting in 30.2 minutes per game for the 16-17 Cougars last year.
Mackey-Williams was the third-leading scorer on BYU's roster a year ago, trailing double-digit averages from Lauren Gustin and Nani Falatea. But by the time she got to the end of the season, the native of Ngati Porou, New Zealand, admitted she was beat up with her extreme increase in minutes.
No, Mackey-Williams isn't transferring. But she's perfectly fine adjusting from full-time starter to a leadership role, as well. The Cougars are going to need the latter after bringing in a half-dozen new players including Gatorade players of the year from Utah, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona in Kailey Woolston, Amari Whiting, Ali'a Matavao and Oregon transfer Jennah Isai, respectively.
We could describe the points, rebounds, blocks and steals that each of the aforementioned newcomers have brought since joining BYU's on-campus summer workouts. But that's not what stood out most to Mackey-Williams.
"The talent in this freshman group has so much potential," she said. "But what I really like is how they've come in and how hard they've been working, lifting and practicing. You can see how much they love the grind.
"Seeing them every day, coming in and working hard on and off the court, they're nice, easy-going, lovely girls. The class is full of potential, but I think it's because of how hard they work and how much they love to compete."
The talented crop of new additions is part of Whiting's recruiting strategy, one of her strengths since making the jump from Burley High School to BYU a year ago. It's already paying dividends — for the recruiting Class of 2024, as well.
That group already includes four-star Canadian international Delaney Gibb and Sarah Bartholomew, a 6-foot-3 forward from Lone Peak who teamed with Woolston to win the 6A state championship this past year.
Part of the recruiting upgrade is Whiting's prior connections and relationships on the AAU circuit, paired with help from her fellow BYU alum husband Trent Whiting. But it's also simply a matter of the Cougars' move to the Big 12 — a conference that will expand to 13 teams to include Colorado next year.
Of course, that's next year. For now, BYU's first season in the conference will include a home-and-home series with Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas and TCU and road-only trips to Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas and UCF.
The Cougars' full schedule will be announced at a future date.
"Obviously, going into the Big 12 is going to be a jump for us and for every sport. But this is such an exciting time for BYU sports, and especially for women's basketball," Mackey-Williams said. "In the Big 12, you have the big names and the big teams that have history. Just to be a part of it and to experience competing against some top athletes is super exciting.
"I just love to play and compete, especially against the highest-performing athletes. It's exciting for me and everyone else on our team, and we're excited for those opportunities."
