Canadian basketball’s new 3x3 Performance Manager – recently retired three-time Olympian Michelle Plouffe – points to “self-compassion”, coupled with a deep-seated desire for “excellence”, as the secret to the women’s national team’s rise to prominence since its formation six years ago.
Alongside her twin sister Katherine, Michelle helped plant the seed for the federation’s first 3x3 women’s program in 2019, having crossed codes from Canada women’s 5x5 national team – for whom she performed at the highest levels of the sport, including both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The winner of multiple FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series titles, a FIBA 3x3 World Cup silver medal, and once the highest ranked player in the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series, Michelle champions her “ability to set aside the result” and “not to put too much pressure on winning” as the culminating factor in hers and her teammates’ high levels of consistency on the court.
Canada’s women’s national team heads to the 2025 FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series Final in Shanghai (September 13-14) and, according to Michelle, is very much in the title mix. “I just really think – and this was the case when I was playing – the Canadian team is really hard to play against when it is having fun and keeps things light.
“The main goal is always to try to win,” she says, “but we also understand that, to do that, it means not holding the way we play so tightly gripped to an outcome. When we’re encouraging each other and having fun, that’s when we play at our best. I’m very proud of the work the team has put in, and more so about who they are as people.”
Her unique philosophy for high-performance basketball was nurtured during her introduction to the sport, Michelle explains. Edmonton-born, she and her siblings were encouraged to play multiple sports – not only basketball – during their childhoods, while an important value was to “enjoy themselves” during competition.
“Katherine and I were the youngest of five, so we were the benefactors of waiting around for our siblings to be done with their practice sessions, while our parents gave us all the opportunities they could to play in after-school sports,” Michelle continues. “We were very active kids: always playing basketball, soccer, volleyball. Our sister Andrea played for the provincial team and was one of the best female players, so we naturally followed her direction.
“We also had an outstanding coach from a very young age who, yes, taught us the skills of basketball, but also held a high standard for us, including the importance of ‘work-ethic’ and ‘taking responsibility’. I was attracted to that part of the game – to always try to improve – and I think set in motion how we both pursued sports. Coaches can have a huge impact on youth participation, particularly among young girls. I was blessed to have a good coach.”
Whilst in its infancy, FIBA 3x3 is still “very new in Canada”, Michelle says, and presents another pathway for Canadians to take up basketball, helped by its pace and the “freedom to be creative” it bestows on players. “The sport can be a great tool for development at the youth level, as well as a great pathway for women to represent their country,” she expands. “In doing so, I believe we have created an environment for people to feel valued. By no means is 3x3 basketball easy – it’s going to push you and is something which comes with the territory of high-performance sport – but I think it is very fulfilling when played in a positive and encouraging environment.
“I recognised that, and it is part of what attracted me to 3x3 basketball. Katherine and I are both versatile players, and I saw it as an opportunity to have some fun, rather than be ‘put in a box’ as players often are in the 5x5 game with their specific positions. For more versatile players, like ourselves, 3x3 basketball provides an open ground, more freedom and creativity. We had to forge our own path, which is something that has always appealed to me.”
Though Canada’s women did not qualify for Tokyo 2020, the dream was always to compete at another Games. Michelle, 32, reflects on their journey to Paris 2024, which saw the national team defeated by the USA in the bronze medal game and miss out on a podium. Michelle is humble in defeat, an attribute she says has been one of her greatest strengths throughout her basketball career.
“After a loss, what happens to players or a team? Often, you can guilt-trip yourself when you haven’t played your best,” she goes on. “And I know this from experience because that’s how I thought when I played for the University of Utah. At the time, I know I had absolutely no compassion for myself. I held myself to this almost unrealistic standard and it hindered everything: my performance, how I felt about myself, even my preparation for my next game.
“I think these things go hand in hand, so by recognising what you can influence versus what’s out of your control, while also pursuing excellence and realising you can never be perfect, self-compassion is an important ingredient for success. Some people sacrifice one at the hand of the other, whereas I think we can absolutely pursue excellence whilst also showing compassion and grace for ourselves, and that is the path to getting better. The outcome isn’t necessarily the point.”
Reflecting on their Olympic Games, while the gold medal was Canada’s target, Michelle says the team’s culture has reaped more from its journey to the Olympics rather than the pursuit for gold itself – a value Canada’s FIBA 3x3 program still stands by under her stewardship. “We knew that, to get there, the journey and the culture we developed as a team was worth more than the medal and we weren’t going to sacrifice the relationships we had created along the way,” Michelle continues. “Were we going for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics? Yes, absolutely we were.
“But I also know of other athletes from other sports who have sacrificed their personal wellbeing in pursuit of the gold medal and, when they get it, it has at times felt empty. While we always strive to be the best in the world, I absolutely think the compassion for self is directly linked to success. For one thing, it allows you to hold more compassion for your teammates and is a message we want to instil in the future generations of 3x3 players.”