Players who topped the recent Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 will be made available to the national team.
League officials said this after the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas began scouting for players to field in international 3×3 competitions.
“We are publicly offering the field for SBP,” said Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. president Ronald Mascariñas during Friday’s sendoff for the Filipino teams competing in the coming 2019 FIBA 3×3 World Tour.
Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 is the first-ever 3×3 basketball league in the country which features 12 club teams.
It was immediately promoted as a Quest-level event by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) after the first of five legs.
The Grand Finals of the President’s Cup was a Quest Finals-level event in the FIBA 3X3 hierarchy, and served as qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA 3×3 World Tour Masters Doha, which the pinnacle of FIBA 3×3 club competition.
The Pasig Grindhouse Kings and the 1Bataan Risers qualified for the global meet that is set to take place from April 18 to 19.
With these activities, the Philippines has shot up from 49th in the world to 32nd in the FIBA 3×3 rankings
Among the players who can be tapped by SBP are Joshua Munzon, Taylor Statham, Troy Rike, Alvin Pasaol, and Leonard Santillan.
The others are Jaypee Belencion and Arvin Tolentino of Pasay; Sean Manganti and Anton Asistio of 1Bataan; Karl Dehesa of Vigan; Ron Lastimosa of Pasay; Dylan Ababou of Pasig; John Wilson and Larry Muyang of Go for Gold-San Juan; Roosevelt Adams of Pasay; Leo De Vera of Pasig; Paulo Hubalde of Carga Valenzuela; Jojo Cunanan of Vigan; Chris de Chavez and Jan Jamon of Carga Valenzuela; and Rey Suerte of Cebu-Max 4.
The Philippine Basketball Association has committed to lend players not just for the main men’s team but for the 3×3 event as well.
The last time a PBA-backed team saw action in the halfcourt game was in the 2018 FIBA 3×3 World Cup in Bulacan.
The trio was made up of Gilas veterans Roger Pogoy, Troy Rosario, Christian Standhardinger, and Stanley Pringle.
They finished 11th among the 20 nations that participated.
