TEAM Pilipinas will have to be ready for the physicality of games that will be played in the coming FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2018 in Bocaue, Bulacan.
That’s why players who will be picked to make up Team Pilipinas should be up the challenge.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio said this about the competition, which will be held from June 8 to 12 at the Philippine Arena.
“It’s very different game. Very physical. We have to assess the criteria in choosing the players for Team Philippines,” said Panlilio.
Last year, the Philippines finished 11th overall behind Kobe Paras, Joseph Quinahan, Kiefer Ravena and Jeron Teng.
Most of the players, he added, will most likely come from teams in the Philippine Basketball Association and the PBA D-League.
Serbia, which beat the Netherlands in the finals, anchored its games behind Dusan Bulut, Dejan Majstorovic, Marko Savic and Marko Zdero.
So far, Mongolia is the latest country to earn a ticket after making it to the Top 40 in the world rankings.
This is the first time that the Mongolian national team will participate. The team won the Asian University 3×3 Basketball Championships, which was held in Malaysia in April last year.
A total of 40 teams from 37 different countries, including defending champions Serbia and Russia, will compete in the fifth edition of the FIBA World Cup.
All games will be played at the Philippine Arena with 20 men’s and 20 women’s teams at the event.
There will be three individual events, namely the men’s dunk contest, the women’s skills contest and the mixed shoot-out contest.