Jérôme Desrosiers ’21: From Tiger Stripes to Global Courts, A 3x3 Journey

6/18/2025

From the floors of Jadwin Gymnasium to playing professional 3x3 basketball for London 3x3 and representing Team Canada, Jerome Desrosiers ’21 has been everywhere and has seen the world through the game of basketball. Desrosiers never imagined that his Princeton basketball education would become a passport to courts around the world.

The numbers tell a remarkable story for Desrosiers as in just three years, he has climbed from 3x3 newcomer to Canada's #1 ranked player nationally and the 50th ranked FIBA 3x3 player in the world.

The fundamentals drilled into him during his time as a Tiger which included versatility, basketball IQ, and unselfish play seemed like college necessities at the time. Now, three years into his professional 3x3 career, they've become his competitive advantages on an international stage. While some programs specialize their athletes, Franklin C. Cappon-Edward C. Green ‘40 Head Coach Mitch Henderson forces everyone to dribble, shoot, and think about the game at a high level. This classic Princeton approach to basketball development would later prove invaluable in a sport where traditional positions simply don't exist.

Everyone has to do everything as a basketball player at Princeton.

Jérôme Desrosiers

Whether it was playing in big games at Duke or dropping a career high 16 points at Arizona State, combined with the bonds he formed at Princeton, Desrosiers was more than ready to take his talent to the next level when he got the offer to play professional 3x3 basketball. Desrosiers is very aware that his defining moment of his time at Princeton was taking down #17 Arizona State on the road but that wasn’t his favorite time and what prepared him the most for the next level. He enjoyed his time in Jadwin the most because of the relationships that were forged with his teammates away from the court. Those bonds would prove valuable beyond measure. When opportunity knocked in the form of an Instagram story post from another former Princeton basketball player, Kareem Maddox ‘11, who was looking for 3x3 players, Desrosiers didn't hesitate to respond. The trust built through the community of Princeton basketball during late night team meetings and post-game celebrations created opportunities that would reshape his professional career and his lifelong journey of playing basketball at an elite level.

After games, we would just hangout in the room, play video games … chill with the boys, laugh. Those were the best moments … Going to another team or moving on after Princeton, you realize how close the guys were … For the four years I was there, that's the way it felt.

Jérôme Desrosiers

When Desrosiers got the opportunity to attend a 3x3 training camp in Chicago, Illinois, it was just going to be a summer experiment coming out of college. Desrosiers had no grand plans for a professional basketball career but developed curiosity about a sport that seemed right up his alley. The format of 3x3 basketball has an emphasis on team play which definitely felt familiar, even as the half court setting and the rules of the game represented something entirely new than organized 5x5 basketball.

I went there for three days and practiced with them and loved it, and then I got on the team pretty much right away … If I liked it I was going to stick to it.

Jérôme Desrosiers

That experimental summer for Desrosiers has stretched into three years of professional basketball and has transformed him from a curious college graduate to Canada's top-ranked 3x3 player. His rapid ascension in the sport at a professional level speaks to both his incredible talent and the solid foundation his Princeton education and coaches provided, but it also reflects a sport where the right combination of skills can accelerate a career in unprecedented ways.

In Desrosiers’ personal life, he lives in the beautiful state of Hawaii with his wife and his dog. While living in Hawaii with his family and playing professional basketball may seem like the perfect life, this lifestyle consists of constant travel as tournaments are scattered across different continents and time zones. This can become a daily obstacle rather than an occasional inconvenience. This sacrifice requires constant evaluation, balancing personal fulfillment against professional ambitions.

The hardest part is being away from home with my wife and my dog …That’s what I miss the most when I leave.

Jérôme Desrosiers

A typical tournament week for Desrosiers means early morning flights, quick recoveries upon arrival, team film sessions, and then multiple high-intensity games over two days. For a weekend 3x3 tournament Desrosiers will play five games in two days which is not only tolling on the body but also on the mind. The games are played where the first team to 21 wins or the games can last 10 minutes. This means that the games are fast, intense, and while dealing with the windy elements of the weather, can be frustrating and challenge your skill in unparalleled ways. It's a grind that tests more than just basketball skills but also your relationship with home. Even with all of this going on Desrosiers has found ways to manage the chaos, treating each destination as a new classroom in his continuing basketball education.

Once you get there you have to recover but also get yourself ready for the games…You don’t want to sleep right away because you have to wake up early.

Jérôme Desrosiers

The transition from Princeton's style of play at the collegiate level to a playground-style format in 3x3, clearly revealed just how well Desrosiers’ college experience had prepared him for professional basketball in a new but exciting way. Where other players struggled with the format's demands for complete versatility, Desrosiers felt at home in a system that rewarded basketball IQ and skill.

Guys are not as specialized … There’s not a point guard or a center that just runs pick and rolls. Everyone can do everything. Guys are pretty much between six feet to 6’7”... Everyone can shoot and everyone can dribble and pass. You can’t hide

Jérôme Desrosiers

While playing half court rather than the classic full court style of basketball, constant movement and decision making is required. There is no team with a slow pace in 3x3 basketball. This style suits players who can think quickly and adapt on the fly. Princeton's emphasis on reading defenses and making the right play translated seamlessly for Desrosiers in a sport where split-second decisions determine outcomes. The Princeton lessons of playing the right way became professional advantages in a game that rewards team basketball over individual heroics and one on one basketball.

Five on five is just little games of three on three broken up during the game. It’s crazy how much you learn.

Jérôme Desrosiers

Each tournament victory has represented validation of an unlikely path for Desrosiers, but also acknowledgment of the relentless work required to compete at the highest levels of international basketball.

I haven’t done this for a very long time and I’m already number one which I think should motivate people to be like, oh, I can go up the rankings that quickly? Let’s do this … Because I’ve only been doing this for three years, I’m still new in terms of a career … It should motivate more people to play.

Jérôme Desrosiers

His rapid rise internationally may seem like an individual statistic but, while paying 3x3, success requires constant proof and beneficial play to his team. Every tournament is a new opportunity to validate your ranking and earn the next invitation not just for himself but also for Team Canada to have a chance at the Olympic level.

If you want to do this and you want to play this sport, it’s worth doing.

Jérôme Desrosiers

Representing Canada on the international stage has become the driving force of Desrosiers' career. From courts in Japan to Malaysia to Mongolia, he has discovered that basketball truly is a universal language, but wearing the maple leaf adds weight to every possession and meaning to every sacrifice.

Canada needs more people to play, more guys on the circuit, more people to understand the game. That way we can build a team for the Olympics not only for 2028 but for the years after it.

Jérôme Desrosiers

The lifestyle of constant travel for this career offers unique rewards. Desrosiers has been able to experience cultures most people only read about as he competes against the world's best players, building friendships that span continents.

My favorite place is Japan for sure. By far the best … I’ve been to Malaysia which is cool … We just went to Austria and I just went to Mongolia. I’m going back to Mongolia for the World Cup for Team Canada. It takes you to places you’d never think you’d go.

Jérôme Desrosiers

Although he misses home constantly, he is able to thrive on the thrill of competition in locations that he never would’ve thought to visit. He values the Princeton relationships that shaped him while spending most of his time thousands of miles away from those people. With that being said, what would this experience be without goals? He understands that his main goals are not only to grow the game of 3x3 basketball in his home country of Canada but on a deeper level he wishes to medal at the Olympics. This has been a big dream of his ever since he started this journey.

Hopefully go to LA 2028, the Olympics, that’s the goal right now. Once you reach the goal it shouldn’t be just to get there but to stay there for a long time.

Jérôme Desrosiers

Desrosiers has found meaning in the challenges of his unconventional path.

The journey from Jadwin to international courts represents more than athletic achievement but it's also proof that Princeton basketball’s lessons extend far beyond campus borders. The values of teamwork, sacrifice, and playing the game the right way have carried Desrosiers around the world, one half court at a time.

His story continues to unfold across global courts, driven by Olympic dreams and sustained by the brotherhood that began in orange and black. His time at Princeton never really ended but just expanded as the stakes extend far beyond college basketball. In finding success in 3x3, Desrosiers has discovered that sometimes the most important lessons from college aren't what you learn, but how those lessons prepare you for opportunities you never saw coming.