There are two things Joshua Webb is passionate about: De La Salle-Zobel and 3×3 basketball.
He now gets to combine both as one of the trainers of the Junior Archers during the UAAP Season 88 3×3 basketball tournament.
“Just really happy to be able to share a little bit of the knowledge I’ve gained from playing for a while,” Webb told Tiebreaker Times.
“I think I can share a few tips and things you need to be successful in 3×3. Hopefully, the team is able to apply a lot of that knowledge, and we can come out with a win.”
For those not in the know, Webb was a ranked 3×3 player during the sport’s golden days in the late 2010s.
The UAAP Season 70 Juniors MVP was once ranked inside the top 20 and was part of the Gilas 3×3 pool for the 2021 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Though still active in the 3×3 scene, the now-36-year-old bruiser is slowly transitioning into coaching.
“It’s been in and out. I’ve been coaching, I’ve been teaching, I’ve also been playing. I’ve kind of just been open to whatever opportunity presents itself. Right now, coaching is that opportunity. But I’m open to other things, especially if it’s 3×3,” said Webb, who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles he sustained in Thailand earlier this year.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
In Zobel, he gets to reunite with close friends, including Hyram Bagatsing, who is currently handling the grassroots program of DLSZ.
“One of my best friends, Hyram, asked me if I wanted to be the head coach. Wherever Hyram goes, I kind of just follow. We coach as a collaborative effort, me and him,” Webb said. “I think it’s a perfect recipe because he’s one of my best friends, and Zobel is my home, where I came from.”
“To be able to give back with my friend, share knowledge, and be the coach I needed at that time—that’s the goal. And the goal is to come back and win a championship once again, because the last championship Zobel had was the one we won when I was in my fourth year.”
Both the 16-and-under and 19-and-under teams of DLSZ finished fourth in the tournament.
There is still a lot of work to be done, and Webb knows it.
By next year, he hopes to help produce champions in the sport.
“Really good, really happy. Just a few tweaks and adjustments here and there, but that will come. It’s also part of the collaborative process. As a coach, you have to let the players know so they can adjust,” said Webb.
“It’s a different ball game in 3×3—a different animal. So we’re looking for different qualities and traits that we want to teach them and have them apply on the court.”
