Keep the Philippines in the top countries of the FIBA 3×3 men’s rankings
That’s the main order of business for the country’s top 100 players, as they play in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 MelMac Cup, presented by Gold’s Gym and Coca-Cola.
The eight-leg, level five FIBA 3×3 tourney will be the Philippines’ last push to remain within the 24-nation threshold before the October 31 deadline, to gain an entry to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
All games will be held at Gold’s Gym Sheridan in Mandaluyong, with the first leg set on Friday at 1 p.m.
The Philippines is currently in 22nd place in the men’s rankings with 8,156,626 points.
“I can assure you that there won’t be a single bit of regret because we know that in our hearts, as Filipinos, we did our part to keep the country on pace for an OQT berth,” said Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 league owner Ronald Mascariñas.
“It’s impossible for us in Gold’s Gym to say no to the country. That is why we opened the doors of our gym to Chooks-to-Go for this final push to make it to the OQT,” said Gold’s Gym president and CEO Mylene Dayrit.
Sixteen teams — bannered by top Filipino clubs Pasig and Balanga — are set to compete in the men’s division. World no. 101 Joshua Munzon and world no. 130 Alvin Pasaol both look to lead their respective squads.
Winners of the leg will take home the P100,000 cash prize, with the runner-up bagging P30,000 and the third-placer getting P10,000.
But that’s not all. The ladies will also have a piece of the action with six teams joining in the women’s division.
Four WNBL teams and two Ever Bilena-backed squads make up the field, with top Filipina 3×3 players Janine Pontejos and Afril Bernardino raring to get hold of the action in hopes of winning the P20,000 cash prize.
The Philippines is listed at 26th in the women’s rankings with 1,674,198 points as the country also aims to make the top 24 before the cut-off.
Succeeding legs will be held on Saturday, before continuing on Oct. 16 and 17, 19 and 20, and 21 and 22.
Games will be shown live at the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas Facebook page, with the leg’s highlights at SportsCenter in ESPN5.
