The Philippine national men’s 3×3 squad braces for a tough battle when it opens its campaign in the 2024 FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup in Singapore starting Wednesday at the Singapore Sports Hub in Singapore.
Gilas Pilipinas head coach Mau Belen said they will go all out to make an impact against powerhouse teams Mongolia and China in a bid to rule the prestigious continental event.
Composing the men’s team are TNT Triple Giga mainstays Ping Exciminiano, Chester Saldua and Gryann Mendoza as well as Joseph Sedurifa of Meralco while Gilas Women’s players Mikka Cacho, Jhazmin Joson, Camille Clarin and Kaye Pingol will be competing in the distaff side with veteran mentor Eric Altamirano as head coach.
The men’s team is set to leave on Thursday, a day after the prestigious tourney formally opens.
“We have been preparing for the competition in the last three months. It’s going to be tough but we will try our best to get a podium finish,” said Belen, also the head coach of the Triple Giga in the Philippine Basketball Association 3×3 Lakas ng Tatlo.
“China, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, Japan and Korea. Those teams are vying for the top spot. Maybe we can steal a win from them.”
Belen added that they will go to battle with solid preparation.
“We asked for a pool of players and we were able to select the members of the team from that pool. We have been preparing for this tournament since January,” she added.
The country’s men’s team is in Group C with Japan and the winner in one of the qualifying draws while the women’s squad is in Group B with Kazakhstan, Maldives and Tahiti. Should the Filipinas win, they will advance to Group C with Mongolia and Malaysia.
Gilas boys aim to go further after missing the quarterfinals last year following setbacks to Iran and Qatar.
Belen said continuously competing in 3×3 tournaments would help them get more adjusted to the FIBA style of play.
“International 3×3 is different compared to the local scene that we have. For example, the TNT team is strong locally but it’s different internationally,” Belen said.
“So far, everything is going positively for us. With the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission) and SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas) fully supporting us, we’re able to do our jobs much better. The players are just focused on playing basketball at the highest level and the coaches are there to help and prepare in their best shape coming into this FIBA Asia Cup.”
