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MANILA, Philippines – Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and the PBA are trying to work out the best possible arrangement for the country’s participation in the FIBA 3×3 Olympic qualifying tournament in May.
The event was originally scheduled for March 2020, but moved from May 26-30 in Graz, Austria. The Philippines are in Group C, along with Slovenia, France, Qatar and the Dominican Republic.
A total of 20 teams are competing in qualifying, and only the best three tickets to the Tokyo Olympics, where they are contested 3×3 for the first time.
Speaking after the PBA planning session earlier this week, SBP President Al Panlilio noted that the country has already submitted its list of qualifiers.
“These are CJ Pérez, Mo Tautuaa, Joshua Munzon, (Alvin) Pasaol, (Santi) Santillan and Karl Dehesa,” he said. “If you look there, that list of six names, five of those names after the draft will all be PBA players.”
Of the four, Pérez, Tautuaa, Munzon and Pasaol are the members of the national team who will surely play in the OQT. Dehesa and Santillán are part of the pool.
Pérez and Tautuaa are teammates at San Miguel Beer, while Munzon, Pasaol and Santillán are eligible to be drafted on Sunday. Munzon, in particular, is probably the top pick overall. Dehesa last played for Phoenix Super LPG in 2018 before shifting his focus to 3×3.
“We need to work with the league so they can participate,” said Panlilio, noting that the players will be away for at least two weeks to compete in Austria.
“You will have to borrow them from their respective mother teams to practice. That is what we have asked the PBA,” he explained. “We are really asking for four to five players who will be PBA players when we start this training program.”
“After Sunday, after the draft, five of them will already be in the PBA.”
Munzon and Pasaol established themselves as the No. 1 and No. 2 3×3 players in the country, respectively, through their stints in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 league. Both players are veterans of the 3×3 circuit, having played in numerous FIBA 3×3 events both locally and internationally.
Pérez and Tautuaa, meanwhile, were part of the national team that won the gold medal in 3×3 at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Related video:
Philippine Basketball Association, SBP, PBA, FIBA, FIBA 3×3, FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament
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