THE walls are closing in. The clock is running down. The ball is whipped around the court at lightning speed. Gareth Murray’s played professional basketball for nearly 20 years, but he has never played it like this.

Today, Scotland begin their qualifying campaign for this summer’s Commonwealth Games but instead of the 5v5 format that Murray has spent his 37 years perfecting, it is three on three that has been included in the programme for Birmingham 2022.

Played on half-court with only one hoop, 3v3 lasts 10 minutes a game or first to 21, whichever comes sooner, the shot-clock dictates that a shot must be taken within 12 seconds of a team gaining possession and there are no timeouts permitted.

It makes for an exciting and dynamic version of the sport and Murray admits that while you would not expect someone in their late 30s to be a fan of such a fast-paced brand of basketball, he has quickly grown to love it.

And being Scotland player-coach, a role he also occupies at Glasgow Rocks, is a far easier prospect in 3v3 than he is used to.

“It’s a completely different game to 5v5 but I’m enjoying it,” he says. “At 37 years old, you might think a fast-paced game wouldn’t suit me but it’s been great.

“There’s not a lot of holding the ball, you have to make very quick decisions and I liked that – as soon as the ball’s in your hand, you can have a shot.

“In club basketball, playing 5v5, it’s a lot harder to be a player-coach – you’ve got a lot more players to manage whereas 3v3 is a lot easier.

“I’ll have four guys in the squad including myself so I’m expecting this will be a lot easier than juggling everything is for the Glasgow Rocks.”

Murray takes charge of Scotland’s four-man squad for the qualifying tournament at the sportscotland National Centre in Inverclyde, where the hosts will face Wales and Northern Ireland, with the trio of teams fighting for one available spot at this summer’s Commonwealth Games.

This qualifying tournament has been held over from December due to Covid restrictions and Murray is quietly confident about his side’s chances despite being such a newcomer to the 3v3 game.

“The December date was a bit tight for us to be ready because we hadn’t really practised but this time, we’ve had quite few training sessions and I’m feeling much more confident now,” he says.

“If it was a 5v5 competition I’d be feeling very confident but 3v3 is a new competition so it’s tougher to know.

“I really think we have the talent and also understand well enough how to play 3v3 basketball to qualify, though so I’m excited; it’s a really good opportunity to play in the Commonwealth Games.”

For Murray personally, reaching Birmingham 2022 would be quite a feat. Having made his Commonwealth Games debut in 2006, he was forced to wait until 2018 to return due to basketball being dropped from the Games’ programme and he would dearly love to make it a hat-trick of appearances this summer.

“It would be a massive thing to be at another Games,” he says. “I was just a young thing in 2006 – I was only 21 and so when 2018 was approaching, I thought I’d try to hold out for that one. “I was 33 then so to now be talking about my third one is pretty amazing.

“Another big thing is that I’m being trusted to be Scotland coach, that’s a big achievement and something I’m very excited about.”

With 3v3 so rarely played on the world stage, Murray is reluctant to predict what Scotland’s chances may be come Birmingham 2022, assuming they navigate this week’s qualifiers safely.

With the 5v5 side coming agonisingly close to a medal four years ago by losing the bronze medal play-off, going one better this summer is, unsurprisingly, the dream.

For now, though, Murray’s full attention is firmly on the upcoming battle with Wales and Northern Ireland.

“It was mixed emotions in 2018 because no one expected us to get as far as we did – initially, we were the only ones who really believed in ourselves but then people started jumping on board when they realised we had a chance of a medal.

“It’s going to be hard to replicate everything that happened in Gold Coast and for a lot of the guys, it was something of a last hurrah and so we all put absolutely everything into it.

“With 3v3 coming in now, small countries definitely have a better chance of winning a medal so we’ll have to get there first and then see what happens.”

The women’s side will also be in action at Inverclyde this week, while both the men’s and women’s wheelchair qualifiers will take place next week.