Having been with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ 3×3 division since 2014, current 3×3 project director and coach Mark Solano has definitely seen it all, from the program’s success to, of course, its struggles.
“We can’t find sponsors before,” Solano revealed to Tiebreaker Times.
Three-a-side basketball hasn’t been pushed before, and it hasn’t been very appealing to potential backers. For most of them, 3×3 is nothing more than a side show, and the 5-on-5 is still the main attraction.
But since then, the interest of the Filipino basketball fans has grown – and it reached new heights when the Philippines hosted the 2018 FIBA 3X3 World Cup last July and held it at the historic Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
And it won’t definitely stop there. This Tuesday, the federation – along with major backer Chooks-to-Go – has launched a nationwide search for a full-time 3×3 national team, as they now aim for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The country has now become serious in 3×3 competition after the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced months ago that it will be an Olympic spectacle, and for the SBP, this is a more realistic shot than the regular 5-on-5.
Given this huge development, the country’s 3×3 program has definitely come a long way. Solano admitted he never thought this would happen, which is why he couldn’t be grateful enough to Chooks-to-Go for making it possible.
“During pa yung time namin nina coach Eric [Altamirano], nina coach Anton [Altamirano], we’ve been praying for this. Kaya nga kanina sabi namin, answered prayer nga sa’min ‘to,” said Solano, who played college ball in the Far Eastern University.
“We’ve been asking God for someone like Chooks-to-Go, someone a visionary like Boss Ronald [Mascariñas], and finally, God gave us the answer.”
For Solano, it is not just his dreams and those of his fellow executives that will be fulfilled. The 41-year-old said that the dreams of many Filipinos can be realized, too, with this program that Chooks and SBP have just started.
To simply put it, the program is all about giving hope.
“Ang mensahe lang lagi ni Boss Ronald, we want to give hope dun sa mga kabataan, or ‘di masyadong kabataan pero hindi nabigyan ng tsansa maglaro sa university; hindi nabigyan ng tsansa makapagaral; hindi nabigyan ng tsansa mag-pro, pero magaling,” he said.
“Isa yun sa big part nitong programa natin sa 3×3: to give hope, na pwede palang ganun,” Solano continued. “Again, from the streets to the world stage, ito yung gagawin nila.”
Searching for the best 3×3-fit players all over the Philippine islands will be a tedious undertaking for anyone in the program. But for Solano, he is optimistic that his and the federation’s efforts will never go to waste.
“Ilan ang population natin ngayon, hundred million na ba? Parang ganun, ‘di ba. So if we will sweep through the 16 regions ng SBP, sobrang, sobrang dami. I’m pretty sure – sabi ko nga sa mga bossing natin – makakakita tayo ng diamond in the rough diyan. Pretty sure,” he declared.
“Not only for Men’s, pati Women’s makakakuha tayo diyan. Definitely.”
