Canadian 3x3 pioneer Michelle Plouffe leaves behind basketball legacy greater than gold

Michelle Plouffe's athletic career might not have ended with an Olympic gold medal.

But the Canadian basketball star's legacy may be even rarer than that vaunted accomplishment: she built an Olympic team from scratch — and will continue to oversee its growth.

After a run that included a trio of Olympic basketball appearances for Team Canada, Plouffe is moving onto the next phase of her career as high performance director for Canada Basketball's 3x3 program.

"I think I was just ready to close a chapter, and it seemed like the right time just based off of where I felt like I was at mentally and physically. I didn't really have the urge to play another season," said Plouffe, the 32-year-old from Edmonton.

"When there were conversations about hiring someone on with the 3x3 programs, I was like, 'Well, that could be a good fit just to continue working with 3x3 and continue to build on the foundation that we have.' So yeah, it kind of seemed like God's timing."

Still, Plouffe admitted it might be weird when a team featuring two former teammates — sister Katherine Plouffe and Paige Crozon — compete at the 3x3 World Series stop beginning Thursday in Bordeaux, France.

After two Olympic appearances with the five-on-five team, she felt her time there had come to an end. Meanwhile, she was training in Edmonton with Steve Sir, who was just latching onto 3x3 on the men's side.

Plouffe told Crozon her plans to leave the senior squad. As it turns out, Crozon had also had the idea of 3x3 put into her head.

They brought in Katherine Plouffe, a plan was born and a goal was set.

"We started off with a bang, went big. We didn't say, 'Let's try and make a 3x3 team and play in a tournament.' We said, 'Let's try and qualify Canada for the