USA Basketball partners with BC3’s Joe Lewandowski to host 3x3 league: Butler, Seneca Valley, NC to play
Joe Lewandowski’s passion for 3x3 basketball and connections to USA Basketball is leading to a possibly first-of-its-kind offseason league for high school basketball players.
Lewandowski, the longtime Butler County Community College men’s basketball coach and the coach for Team USA’s 3x3 team in the 2024 Paris Olympics, is operating a 3x3 league from late September to early October in a partnership with USAB and Nike.
The league, which will run every Sunday beginning this weekend for four weeks, with a day of tournaments Oct. 12, features 16 boys teams from Butler County and Western Pennsylvania, a girls bracket and a junior high bracket. It will be hosted at LaRoche University.
Butler and Seneca Valley will field boys teams in the league.
Lewandowski ran a similar four-week league in the spring; he said college scouts attended and some PSAC and Mountain East offers were made.
When USA Basketball got word, they decided to launch a pilot league with the coach.
“USAB said this is something they like, asked if it would flourish in the fall,” Lewandowski said. “They put it in the Open Court program… I think they’re looking at exploring if this is something that they want to do more.”
Confirmed boys teams are Butler, Seneca Valley, Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, North Hills, Moon, Taylor Allderdice, Lincoln Park, Hempfield Area, Beaver, Penn Hills, Seton LaSalle, Montour, LaTrobe, Cathedral Prep and a team from Youngstown.
The girls’ field includes North Catholic, Shaler, Norwin, Cathedral Prep, North Hills, Oakland Catholic and LaBrae (Ohio). Seneca Valley and State College are forming a joint team.
Rosters are made up of five players, with four able to play in a given game. Teams will play three games per day. No high school coaches will coach their teams.
“I just hope it’s one of those things where the kids enjoy it, the parents and families enjoy,” Lewandowski said.
Players will receive USA Basketball and Nike gear for participating.
Lewandowski is an advocate for having more youth players compete in 3x3. He said it’s more common in Europe and requires players to make quicker decisions. Games feature more possessions, a shot clock and different on-court strategy.
“3x3 is one of the best teachers of the game, it really is,” he said.
