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To Paris
Coach Joe Lewandowski poses for a selfie with the four-man roster after the U.S. men’s 3×3 national team won the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, last fall. Lewandowski was recently named the 3×3 coach for the U.S. men’s basketball team for this summer’s Paris Olympics.Submitted photo
It’s an incredible honor to get there. Can you win the highest award for your country?
Something completely different.
“There’s no better feeling than standing with your hands on your heart and hearing the national anthem play,” said Joe Lewandowski, who was named last week as the U.S. men’s 3×3 basketball coach for this summer’s Paris Olympics. “That’s the goal, to win the gold medal.”
Lewandowski currently coaches Butler County Community College’s boys basketball team, and more than a decade ago he coached Butler High School’s boys and girls teams in separate stints.
Since beginning his coaching and advising career with the USA Basketball 3×3 program in 2014, he has been involved in 17 coaching assignments with men’s and women’s teams in international competition.
He returned home with six gold and silver medals, which will be an unprecedented experience.
“This is going to be really exciting,” Lewandowski said. “I’m very humbled. I’m very grateful for this opportunity. Any chance to represent the United States in any sport is huge. You’re competing for your country. I think there is no greater honor than this.”
Last fall, Lewandowski led the men’s 3×3 national team to a gold medal at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. That’s just part of the experience that has led him to this point.
“It was a long process, but I’m really glad to be a part of it,” he said. “Last summer, I probably traveled around the world at least three times as a coach. … It was a long time.”
The 3-on-3 variation of the sport was introduced competitively at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but competition was moved to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Latvia won the gold medal there.
“It’s like a different game,” Lewandowski said. “A lot of the things we do five-on-five have a lot of background and history. You can look at that and say, ‘Oh, this is what we’re doing.’ This has been done before.
“A lot of things are new in 3×3. It’s very technical because you take two players off the floor. The game has become a lot faster.”
The game is played in half court, with one basket on one side and the end line on the other. There is a 12 second shot clock. He enters the contest with 21 points, with 2 points for makes from outside the arc and 1 point for makes from inside.
“There are so many different aspects that you can’t even predict,” Lewandowski said of the nuances. “You could say it’s like a five-on-five game on steroids. It’s a run-and-shoot style of play.”
Teams are typically made up of current or former professional players, and only four players can be registered. In other words, he has the luxury of being the only substitute.
“If someone gets injured, we’ll be playing with three players,” Lewandowski explained. “If two players are injured, they will have to play together once the tournament starts.”
The opening ceremony of the global event is something he is looking forward to in France. Also that he’s with talented people who worked hard to get there.
But Lewandowski’s eyes don’t stop at the podium.
“Just being in that environment is going to be amazing,” he said. “But in a situation where I’ve spent so much time, it would be really cool to maybe get a chance to hear my national anthem played.”
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