Canyon Barry On USA 3x3 Olympic Team

No I'm not Canyon, but I do work as a contractor at L3 Harris. The company just put out an article about him.
HERE:

L3Harris Systems Engineer Canyon Barry's journey from Melbourne to the Summer Olympics in Paris.


When L3Harris Systems Engineer, Canyon Barry, was named to Team USA for the 2024 Summer Olympics, it hadn’t fully sunken in yet that his dreams were about to come true. It wasn’t until Paris, amidst the flurry of the Olympic athlete onboarding experience, that the reality hit home. Surrounded by fellow Team USA members and immersed in the preparations – receiving gear, meeting sponsors, fitting outfits for the opening and closing ceremonies – it all became real.

Growing up in Colorado Springs, known as “Olympic City USA,” Canyon saw firsthand the unity and international camaraderie the Games fostered while watching his mother, Lynn Barry, support U.S. women’s basketball. For Canyon, representing Team USA was about embodying the spirit of a nation and being the first in his family to reach this global stage and put his own twist on the Barry family legacy was the “icing on the cake.”

“Anytime you step on the court you want to give it your best and come away with a win, and that’s just so much further amplified when you are representing a country that you love and are a proud citizen of," said Canyon. His Olympics experience was intense, marked by a grueling series of 3x3 basketball games. The stakes were higher than ever and the competition fierce, especially after teammate Jimmer Fredette’s injury left the team one player short with no substitutes. Despite the setback, Canyon and his team fought valiantly, driven by a deep-seated desire to win for the U.S. and all the people in the stands and back home rooting for them.




Canyon Barry fends off Mihailo Vasic in pool play between the U.S. and Serbia. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Off the court, life for Canyon in the Team USA hotel provided a king-sized respite (fortunately avoiding the Olympic Village cardboard beds), while visits to the Village allowed for networking with like-minded elite athletes and even sampling the internet-famous Olympic Village chocolate muffins. Canyon confirms the hype – they are good.

For Canyon, his most memorable Olympics moment came Aug. 2 with consecutive wins over France and China. Canyon led the team with an impressive performance totaling 29 points and went 4 for 4 in free throws using his unique underhand technique, a skill honed with his father, Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry’s guidance. Unfortunately, Team USA lost their last pool play game to the Netherlands and was eliminated from competition. While this wasn’t the ending Canyon and team had hoped for, “we left it all on the court,” said Canyon proudly.

Back at work in Melbourne, Florida, with the Summer Olympics behind him, Canyon has set his sights on the future. While the 2028 Games may be out of reach for his athletic career, he remains committed to 3x3 Basketball World Tour competitions this year, aiming to help position the U.S. favorably for the next qualifying round. Beyond basketball, Canyon is eager to continue his engineering career at L3Harris, where challenges of a different kind await. He extends heartfelt thanks to his colleagues for their support, “I just want to thank everyone in Melbourne and company-wide. I got so many thoughtful, encouraging messages from people at L3Harris and it means a lot to me because I wanted to represent not only the U.S. but our company. The support I received was tremendous. Thank you!”