After spending the past decade or so living out their dreams of playing professional basketball overseas, former Terra Linda High standouts Jordan Lewis and Christian Manoli have returned to their roots.
Lewis, a 2007 graduate, spent 10 years playing in Israel. Manoli, a 2010 grad, played in Spain, China, and Serbia.
For both, life after basketball just meant more basketball. Last month they started Marin 3×3, a basketball academy focusing on the 3×3 game.
“We were talking about it even a few years ago that this is something that could be a big thing here,” Lewis said. “Especially in Marin where a lot of these kids might not be big Division I 5-on-5 college players. But people here love basketball and love sports and the barrier of entry for this sport is a lot different than the barrier of entry to play high level college basketball or professional basketball in the 5-on-5 scene.”
To that end, Lewis and Manoli have returned to their old stomping grounds on the outdoor courts at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael, where both of them played prior to going to TL. Marin 3×3 typically runs three trainings a week there on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Marin 3×3 is set to host its first competitive FIBA-style tournament this Sunday at Miller Creek.
The tournament features three different age groups (5th-6th grade,7th-8th grade, and high school), is open to boys and girls, and each team is guaranteed at least three games. For more info, visit instagram.com/3x3marin/.
“What we’re looking to do with this tournament coming up is create some excitement, expose some kids to some high level 3 on 3 and ultimately what we want to do for this fall is create a consistent league of 3 on 3,” Lewis said.Beyond obviously having less players on the court, the 3×3 game has many key differences from 5-on-5 basketball. Baskets are worth either one or two points and games are played to either 21 points or 10 minutes, whichever comes first.
“The value of being a good shooter is super important in both of those sports, so obviously shooting is something we really emphasize,” Manoli said. “The reason why I think 3 on 3 is a great way to get better at 5 on 5 specifically is you cannot hide in this sport. It’s really 4 on 4. You have one sub and then it’s like a constant rotation. In this sport, you have to be able to play great defense. There’s not a lot of help side defense because if you help, you give up the (two-pointer).”
After spending a few seasons playing 5 on 5 in Spain, Manoli went to China where he was eventually introduced to 3×3 basketball.
“I went to Serbia for a year and played in their pro league, which is honestly the best pro league for 3 on 3 basketball players,” Manoli said. “They’re mostly from Serbia. I got to live and train with the Serbian national team and go practice with those guys every day and see how they operate. Honestly, they were a huge influence in why I wanted to start Marin 3×3, because they have a whole program in Serbia where they are really developing this game.”
Whenever Manoli and Lewis were both home together during their respective offseasons, they’d train together with another former TL standout Kenny Woodard — who runs 24/8 Training — and eventually work more 3×3 drills into their routines.
“Once Christian really started picking up the 3 on 3, when we do our training together we’d do stuff that’s more tailored to a typical 5-on-5 game and then we’d also do some 3-on-3 drills,” Lewis said. “So every summer, I’d get a bit of a taste of the pace and some of the ideas that he’d be doing for his 3-on-3 games.”
Incorporating those drills into their training sessions eventually led them to wanting to use their experiences in professional basketball to teach young players in Marin the finer points of the 3×3 game.
“The prototypical player isn’t necessarily 7-feet (tall) and a super athlete,” Lewis said. “You’ve got to be able to read the game well, you’ve got to be able to shoot the ball well, and you’ve got to be physical and scrappy. That’s really three things that any kid can do if they work at it.”
Marin 3×3 already has its first success story as the trio of Mia O’Neill, Coco Pollak, and Ruby Reid won a 3×3 tournament at the Chase Center in San Francisco last month.