FIBA official thinks Pinoys can win 3x3 Olympic gold

FIBA official thinks Pinoys can win 3x3 Olympic gold

by rick olivares

Ignacio Soriano, FIBA’s 3x3 Event Manager was in Manila (February 25-26) to inspect the different venues that will be used in the upcoming SBP 3x3 Pambansang Tatluhan competition that tips-off this coming March.

FIBA has tasked the Philippines to be at the forefront of three-on-three basketball as the basketball derivative has been played across the decades throughout the archipelago.

“We in FIBA are amazed with what we witness here,” said Soriano during a break in his inspection duties. Accompanied by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Executive Director Renauld “Sonny” Barrios and 3x3 Pambansang Tatluhan Tournament Director Mark Solano, Soriano inspected the Quezon Memorial Circle and the SM Mall of Asia Arena two of many sites for the matches. The six-foot tall Barcelona-born and bred Soriano is in his fifth visit to the Philippines since 2014.

“The fans are crazy about the game whether full court five-on-five basketball or 3x3,” observed the Spaniard. “I was in attendance at the PBA Finals last night and the atmosphere was great. And it is gratifying to know that even 3x3 ball gets the same type of response and support so I know that when the tournament gets going in March, it will be fantastic.”

Soriano divulged that the 3x3 tourneys require more than a year’s preparation and that paying attention to the details will only help the sport grow.

“We in FIBA have submitted to the International Olympic Committee the proposal and application for 3x3 basketball to be included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” divulged Soriano. “In theory it is supported by many people. We have received a lot of support from member federations around the world, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas included. We are highly optimistic it will happen.”

“Should 3x3 basketball become an Olympic sport, the Philippines has a good chance of winning a medal. As you know the game is not about height but skills. And when you have a super-talented player like Terrence Romeo and many others, this can happen. I believe that in 3x3 basketball, the Philippines can thrive.”

“We hoped that 3x3 basketball would be accepted in time for the last Rio Olympics but it didn’t happen. Rest assured, we are working hard to make this happen for the next Summer Games.”

“In the meantime, the SBP 3x3 tournament is going to be exciting. FIBA is working with the Philippines on this because we know the passion for the game here in massive.”

The popularity of 3x3 basketball, a derivative of the traditional full court 5x5 ball, has rapidly become a popular sport ever since FIBA introduced it during the World Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010.

Three-on-three ball was one of the main attractions of the 2015 European Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan, and it is being pushed as one of the sports for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Where did this version of basketball begin?

It was an inner city version of full court basketball that was first played and took New York City and Washington by storm in the early 1900s.

Unlike the full court version, a 3x3 version was derived first due to playing space and the availability of baskets meaning teams shot at only one basket. 

Here in the Philippines, the game has been popular ever since the Americans introduced the sport at the turn of the 20^th century. “Tatluhan” or “three-on-three” as it is called in the vernacular, is played by almost every person in every demographic and on every surface conceivable and in every possible condition whether shoed or barefoot.

The popularity of the game domestically is the reason why FIBA has requested the Philippines to take the lead in the propagation of the sport.

American Scott MacNeal (aka Gus Macker), one of those acknowledged founders of organized 3x3 competition, established his first 3x3 tournaments in 1974, in his parent’s driveway in Lowell, Michigan. In 1987, MacNeal refined and expanded the concept into a more formal tournament that involves over 2.2 million players from seven years to 50-plus age groups of men and women.

In 1989, Hoop It Up, the NBA included as part of its All-Star Game festivities a tourney for non-professional players to one including pros and celebrities. Hoop It Up started from an initial less than 2,000 players in 1986 to over 135,000 participants in 2014 with even teams from Italy, Japan, and Spain participating.

Now the game has become popular the world over. A total of 24 teams will participate in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in Shenzen, China this November 14-16 while a bigger pool of 36 squads will convene in Nantes, Frances for the FIBA 3x3 World Cup this June 17-21.

The Philippines will be one of the 20 men’s teams participating in the tournament.

Fil-Kiwis arriving for NBTC High School Championships

Fil-Kiwis arriving for NBTC High School Championships

by rick olivares

Thirteen Filipino-New Zealanders are arriving in Manila this coming March to participate in the SM-National Basketball Training Center National High School Championships.

The SM-NBTC League is the biggest high school basketball tournament held in the country with close to 700 schools from all over the country participating.

This is also the second year where Fil-foreign teams will participate in the tourney. Aside from Camp David New Zealand that lists players of Filipino lineage from the cities of Auckland and Wellington, other foreign squads include AusPinoy Australia, Durham Crossover from Canada, and Filam Sports USA.

Durham Crossover is a returnee to the tournament as they competed in last year’s tourney along with Traill International School of Thailand.

Camp David New Zealand will be coached by Emmanuel Hoque with David Perez as first assistant.

The teams lists point guards Jordan Perez and Joshua Tayug; off-guards Marc Malingin, Miggy Falqueza, and Tyler Martin; small forwards Aaron Davis, Gerard Cabral, Taine Davis, Mathew Manese, and Simoun Allumia; power forwards Emmanuel Maagdenberg and Denrick Arellano; and center Edward Maagdenberg,

Two players – Taine Davis and Miggy Falqueza are part of the U16 FIBA New Zealand trialist pool. Taine Davis and Edward Maagdenberg are on the Under-16 Batang Gilas 24-man pool.  Aaron Davis and Emmanuel Maagdenberg have received significant interest from a couple of Philippine colleges competing in the UAAP.

Camp David New Zealand will be competing in the eight-team Division One bracket along with NCAA titlists Mapua, MMBL champions San Beda, Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, AusPinoy Australia, Durham Crossover, Filam Sports USA, and the UAAP champion that has yet to be determined as of press time.

The SM-NBTC National High School Championships will be held from March 13-16, 2017, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Looking at the Ateneo Lady Eagles before their UP match

Looking at the Ateneo Lady Eagles before their UP match

by rick olivares

At 4-1 with undefeated UP on deck, this is the crossroads of the season for the Ateneo Lady Eagles. They close out the first round against La Salle. They could go 2-0, 1-1, or 0-2. Either they vault to the top of the standings or stay within striking distance or drop to fourth or fifth.

These are the games where you learn what the team is made of. Sure, there’s the second round where teams make adjustments. As we said at the start of the season, as many as six teams will vie for the four Final Four slots. One loss is tough but somewhat acceptable. Two, three, you have to be concerned. Four, well…

For a team to win that coveted championship, a team must be able to not only hang but defeat a to-seeded squad. A Lady Eagle fan might point to the Season 76 team that came from behind to defeat NU in the semi-finals and La Salle in the finals after losing both elimination round matches.

That sort of thing doesn’t happen every day even if the College of St. Benilde pulled the trick against San Sebastian two years ago in the NCAA. Besides, that Lady Eagles possessed a weapon of mass destruction in Alyssa Valdez.

This Ateneo team is theoretically deeper and more talented. They have veterans in Mich Morente, Jho Maraguinot, Jia Morado, Bea De Leon, and Kim Gequillana who all played significant minutes during the title runs of Seasons 76-77. There are others who experienced the championship but played few minutes or were injured. And they have some talented newcomers. Now this team, save for Katrina Tolentino and Maddi Madayag, played in the last V-League Collegiate Conference finals and that’s good too. But that isn’t close to the atmosphere in the UAAP. You cannot approximate it.

They took down UST impressively and that might have set the Golden Tigresses on their downward spiral. They looked dead in the water against FEU before that impressive comeback. They took down the teams they need to do so in Adamson and UE (although it was a tad disappointing to see their intensity level drop late in the game). They looked bad for much of the loss to NU. Now there are the two other heavyweights in UP and La Salle who showed that they too can bounce back after a loss.

The Ateneo Lady Eagles, under Anusorn Bundit are like a diesel-engine – they start slow. During Season 76, they dropped two matches in the first round and two in the second. But if you look at their second round, they took one set from NU and this time didn’t drop a set to Adamson and UST who they battled tooth and nail in the first round.

It was the same in the undefeated Season 77, the lost six sets that first round then only one the rest of the way.

Last Season 78, they looked like they would steamroll the rest of the league en route to a third consecutive title. However, they lost first to La Salle to close out the first round then lost to UP to open the second round. They righted the ship and won the next seven matches including the Final Four outing versus UP. In the finals versus La Salle, they lost the first match, took Game Two, won the first set of Game Three then dropped the next three sets. Were they running on fumes then? Sure La Salle raised it to another level. But it was Ateneo’s to lose.

This year, they are back to the way they played during Season 76 and 77. They tease with potential and distress with inconsistency. That only means that the Lady Eagles are still getting into a rhythm. I guess they are just a slow starting team. That’s good too because you peak at the right time.

Bundit believes a strong start and taking the first set is crucial in beating UP. Sure it is. But more than that it is consistency and raising the level of their game. The Lady Maroons have displayed a lot of energy in their games. While they aren’t a finished product, they sure do bring it.

Both Ateneo and UP trained in Japan in the pre-season. They saw the quick transition from defense to offense as well as the fine and precise execution of plays.

When the two meet, we will see what they exactly learned and if one team will reassert its mastery or if the other can finally vault over the other team that has lorded it over UAAP volleyball in the past six years.