3×3 basketball: Terra Linda grads looking to grow the sport in Marin
Former professional basketball player Jordan Lewis (right) goes through a dribbling drill at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael, Calif.
on Saturday, Sept.
3, 2024.
Former Terra Linda standouts and professional basketball players Lewis and Christian Manoli have started Marin 3x3 to teach 3 on 3 basketball to kids.
(Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal) Marin 3x3's Jordan Lewis (left center) and Christian Manoli (right center) talk with players at a recent training at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael, Calif.
(Photo by Nick Vande) Former professional basketball player Jordan Lewis at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael, Calif.
on Saturday, Sept.
3, 2024.
Former Terra Linda standouts and professional basketball players Lewis and Christian Manoli have started Marin 3x3 to teach 3 on 3 basketball to kids.
(Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal) Former professional basketball player Jordan Lewis runs players through a dribbling drill at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael, Calif.
on Saturday, Sept.
3, 2024.
Former Terra Linda standouts and professional basketball players Lewis and Christian Manoli have started Marin 3x3 to teach 3 on 3 basketball to kids.
(Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal) Former professional basketball player Jordan Lewis watches a pair of kids work on their basketball skills at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael, Calif.
on Saturday, Sept.
3, 2024.
Former Terra Linda standouts and professional basketball players Lewis and Christian Manoli have started Marin 3x3 to teach 3 on 3 basketball to kids.
(Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal) Former professional basketball player Jordan Lewis (right) goes through a dribbling drill at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael, Calif.
on Saturday, Sept.
3, 2024.
Former Terra Linda standouts and professional basketball players Lewis and Christian Manoli have started Marin 3x3 to teach 3 on 3 basketball to kids.
(Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal) 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 33, a basketball academy focusing on the 33 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 33 typically runs three trainings a week there on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.
Marin 33 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 were 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 33 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.
Its really 4 on 4.
You have one sub and then its like a constant rotation.
In this sport, you have to be able to play great defense.
Theres 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 33 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.
Theyre 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 33, 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, theyd train together with another former TL standout Kenny Woodard who runs 24/8 Training and eventually work more 33 drills into their routines.
Once Christian really started picking up the 3 on 3, when we do our training together wed do stuff thats more tailored to a typical 5-on-5 game and then wed also do some 3-on-3 drills, Lewis said.
So every summer, Id get a bit of a taste of the pace and some of the ideas that hed 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 33 game.
The prototypical player isnt necessarily 7-feet (tall) and a super athlete, Lewis said.
Youve got to be able to read the game well, youve got to be able to shoot the ball well, and youve got to be physical and scrappy.
Thats really three things that any kid can do if they work at it.
Marin 33 already has its first success story as the trio of Mia ONeill, Coco Pollak, and Ruby Reid won a 33 tournament at the Chase Center in San Francisco last month..
This article has been shared from the original article on marinij, here is the link to the original article.