The scene never gets tiresome.
Yet each of the 17 times Joe Lewandowski has coached a USA basketball men’s and women’s 3-on-3 team in an international competition since 2012, the sights and sounds have been undeniably similar.
Be it the 2021 FIBA 3-on-3 men’s and women’s AmeriCup teams or the 2022 FIBA 3-on-3 men’s World Cup team he led to international championships, Lewandowski said the experiences were equally meaningful.
The same is true of the 2023 Pan American Games title Lewandowski won as coach of the U.S. men’s 3×3 team Monday in Santiago, Chile.
“Anytime you get to wear that USA across your chest it’s humbling and you know there’s a lot of pressure because you want to represent,” said Lewandowski, a Butler resident. “It means so much to, not just you, but everyone else. Then when you get to that international stage at the Pan Am Games, which is such a prestigious event, you have even more of that responsibility to perform.
“That’s a good thing because you want that pressure,” he added. “You play and coach for the USA, USA Basketball, there’s expectations. That’s always exciting.”
Lewandowski led the United States to a string of five consecutive Pan American Games victories last weekend, which culminated with a 21-15 win Monday against host country Chile in the gold-medal game.
The United States opened the Pan American Games with a 22-8 win against El Salvador, before knocking off Mexico, 21-18. Lewandowski’s team then went on to defeat Uruguay, 21-10, in the quarterfinals, and then dispatched of Trinidad and Tobago, 21-9, in the semifinals.
“Chile was incredible because the atmosphere, the venue was tremendous,” Lewandowski said. “It was a packed house. Obviously, I’m biased, but it was the event that everyone wanted to be a part of and see. It was electric.”
Lewandowski — who will soon begin his second season at the helm of the Butler County Community College men’s team after his four seasons as coach of the Point Park University men’s team — said defeating Chile on its home soil provided a thrilling experience.
“Someone asked me earlier what you equate that to. Well, we won the World Championships in Moscow against Russia,” Lewandowski said. “That was a huge experience to hear a crowd just yelling, ‘Russki, Russki’ — that was intimidating.
“This was just that same sort of feel,” he added of Chile. “It was a lot of pride in their country, and both teams performed well. I’m elated that we came away with the win.”
Considering the NBA and high-level, Division I pedigree Lewandowski’s roster contained, it may come as no surprise the United States was able to leave the Pan American Games unscathed in the loss column.
The United States roster included former BYU standout and six-year NBA veteran Jimmer Fredette, Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis.
Fredette — who rose to prominence when he was named the NCAA Division I Player of the Year during his senior season at BYU in 2011 before being drafted with the 10th overall pick in the NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks — was a relative newcomer to Team USA’s 3-on-3 basketball program, along with Travis, who played collegiately at Florida Southern.
Maddox and Barry have more experience with the U.S. 3-on-3 team. Barry is the son of former NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, and Maddox, a Princeton graduate, was a gold medalist as a member of the 2019 U.S. Pan American Games team.
“3×3 is very fluid,” Lewandowski said. “The rosters change a lot. We’ve been fortunate that this roster has stayed together. That was intentional. With that staying together, you had to find four guys that were committed enough to play on the World Tour. This summer, we lapped the world probably twice, at least. It’s hard to find that, and hard to find guys that are of that character and get along. Those guys are brothers. Without a doubt, they are a band of brothers.”
The current United States roster also plays together with Team Miami on the FIBA 3×3 Men’s World Tour. The team won the 2023 FIBA 3×3 Cebu Masters and earned a silver medal in June at the World Cup.
Lewandowski said Fredette has quickly become “the best player in the world.”
Fredette was the U.S. team’s leading scorer in all but one contest at the Pan American Games. He scored 47 of the United States’ 106 points in the tournament.
Barry scored a team-high eight points in the United States win against Chile and joined with Maddox to provide the team’s secondary scoring options. Travis is a defensive specialist, whose imposing physical play often sets the tone for the United States, Lewandowski said.
“It’s been tremendous,” he said of his team. “They’re great people.”
Aside from the obvious difference in the number of players on the court in relation to the traditional 5-on-5 game, there are also additional key tweaks in 3-on-3 competition.
Each basket counts for one point, while players also have the option to make a shot beyond the two-point arc on a half-court floor during the course of the 10-minute regulation contest.
“It is such a fun game, and that’s why people gravitate to watching it,” Lewandowski said. “It is so fast paced. You would love the term ‘basketball on steroids,’ but so many actions happen so much quicker and so much more frequently, it really showcases how well players play together.”
And the United States could soon be focusing on playing well at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Although the United States team this week returned to the FIBA World Men’s Tour, Lewandowski said he and his players are anxiously waiting for Olympic qualifying countries to be announced in November.
Lewandowski said countries earn points for Olympic qualifying based on their finishes in World Tour and international tournament events. He said the three countries with the highest point totals will earn automatic qualifications to the Paris games.
“Competing in the Pan Am Games, winning a world championship, representing your country, that’s the highest level I think you can get to,” Lewandowski said. “I know how much these guys have sacrificed and how much we’ve sacrificed. It’s really exciting to be a part of it.”
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.