For the Philippine National Men’s
Basketball Team, the International Federation of Basketball Associations (FIBA)
has only elicited bad memories back in 2019, particularly in the Basketball
World Cup that year. The qualification stage saw the humiliation of the team
losing to Australia by default because of a bench-clearing brawl. Said
humiliation became absolute when the Filipino squad lost all games in the World
Cup itself to place dead last in 32 participants. For a time it seemed the only
opportunity the country could enjoy FIBA again would be when it co-hosts the
next World Cup in 2023. But maybe it will not take too long.
That is because FIBA is having
the Philippines host one of their competition tours for 3x3 basketball right
this year. The Philippine Star
reports that the country will become a three-time venue for the FIBA 3x3 World
Tour, after hosting rights were again secured from the international governing
body of basketball. This Level 10 event for half-court basketball action
between teams of three has found itself visiting the Philippines twice before,
in the consecutive years of 2014 and 2015. Now, basketball fans will get to see
the world’s best 3-on-3 teams representing various world cities.
Ronald Mascariñas,
founder and league owner of the Philippines’ first half-court basketball league
in Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3, gave a statement Tuesday, January 21, about
having the FIBA 3x3 World Tour having a stop in the country once more. "Last
year, 3x3 basketball once again entered the collective consciousness of the
Filipino people,” he said, referring to two other locally-hosted international
3x3 tournaments in the Manila Challenger and Super Quest. "We needed to
continue that momentum and what better way to do so than hosting a World Tour
Masters," adds Mascariñas.
With the FIBA 3x3 World Tour
taking place this May 2 and 3 at the SM Megamall Fashion Hall in Mandaluyong, a
national 3x3 basketball squad is to be formed from the top players of Chooks-to-Go
Pilipinas 3x3. When the league’s President’s Cup conference begins next month,
the best-performing competitors will become the country’s team against global 3x3
powerhouses like the Novi Sad Al-Wahda (Serbian players based in the UAE), New
York Harlem and the Riga Ghetto, all of which will be coming to the Philippines
for epic 3-on-3 action. It is an official FIBA event the country will host
ahead of the Basketball World Cup three years from now, and hopefully it will
make FIBA positive with Filipinos again.
Other venues for the 2020 FIBA
3x3 World Tour include Doha in Qatar, Chengdu in China, Mexico City, Utsunomiya
in Japan, Los Angeles and more, with the final leg to happen in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia.
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