Earn points that will improve the Philippine standings in the FIBA 3×3 world rankings.
Commissioner Eric Altamirano said this was the goal of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 League basketball tournament which kicks off with a pre-season cagefest on Jan. 14 at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig City.
That’s because the top 16 teams in the world will make it not only to the Tokyo Olympics but other future international tournaments in the future.
“Ito ay isa sa mga initiatives na ginagawa ng Chooks to Go to promote the sport, to grow the sport, and help the federation (SBP) garner points,” said Altamirano.
So far, twelve city-based club teams will be among the first to join the tournament.
The cagefest will have participants of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League as initial entries.
“Ito na ang unang pagkakataon ng 3×3 tournament (at the national level) sa Pilipinas. Although 3×3 leagues are already happening around the world,” said Altamirano during a meeting of team owners last weekend at the Bar One restaurant of the Holiday Inn-Ortigas Center.
The tournament is part of the process of selecting talented players who can be part of the national men’s 3×3 team.
The chosen players, once the process is completed this year, will join Kobe Paras, who has joined World 3×3 events twice.
Paras is the first official member of the national squad, and a talent search will now be focused on three new members of the team who will join him.
Among the club teams which have showed up are the Bataan Risers through their owner Borgy Hermida. San Juan through Jeremy Go, along with Bulacan (Britt Reroma), Manila Star (Roman Ang) and the Marikina Shoelanders (Elvis Tolentino).
There’s Quezon City Zarks (Christian Roxas), Taguig (MC Abolucion), Valenzuela Classics (Voltaire Oro), Cebu Hotshots (John Roa) and Bacoor Strikers (Dennis Abella).
Davao Occidental has shown interest, along with another team from Luzon.
The Philippines, now ranked 43, wants to improve its world ranking. This will happen if players and tournaments are registered with FIBA.
The Philippines hopes to join the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
After the pre-season tournament, six legs will be held in the provinces before the national finals commence this April.