One of the top 3×3 teams in the world received a warm Filipino welcome as they prepare for the 2026 FIBA 3×3 Manila Challenger.
Liman, winner of the Utsunomiya Opener and runner-up in the Chengdu Masters, was welcomed at Melmac Sports — a new training facility owned by Mel Macasaquit and located in Imus, Cavite.
Macasaquit has long been a patron of Philippine 3×3, having built the now-defunct Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 league — including organizing the almost-daily tournament MelMac Cup, which played a key role in the country’s push toward the 2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the sport.
Now, he has built a FIBA 3×3-endorsed facility in the heart of Cavite.
Olympian Mihailo Vasic felt impressed with the gym.
“I can say that we’re a little bit jealous because we don’t get something like this back home, and we wish we had this type of court at home,” said Vasic.
Vasic and the rest of Liman have been training at Melmac Sports for the past few days.
The team is composed of Stefan Milivojevic, Andreja Milutinovic, Dusan Popovic, Dorde Simeunovic, and Nemanja Zigon, with Nenad Karananovic serving as head trainer.
Milivojevic, Milutinovic, Popovic, and Simeunovic will form Liman’s quartet for the Manila Challenger, where they will face Singapore and London in the group stage.
Shanghai and Toronto also used Melmac Sports as their training base ahead of the Manila Challenger.
(C) Melmac Sports
“My first impression of Melmac Sports? This is an amazing place,” said Shanghai’s Latvian superstar Kārlis Lasmanis.
“You have everything here. It’s even better than the gyms we played in. And everyone is so friendly, I feel like I’m playing at home. Now I am inspired to put up a gym like this in Latvia because we don’t have courts like this. See, I have goosebumps!”
The Canadian quartet of Adris De Leon, Bikramjit Gill, Adam Paige, and Carlos Zesati is grouped in Pool D alongside France’s Toulouse and the survivor of Qualifying Draw B, which includes USA’s Phoenix, Japan’s Shinagawa, and Japan’s Sapporo.
Vasic expressed gratitude to Melmac Sports for its support in their tournament buildup.
“To be honest, it’s great! Thank you for taking care of us here. This is very important for us in this period of the year to prepare for the Manila Challenger and later for Masters tournaments,” said Vasic.
The top three teams in the Manila Challenger will secure tickets to the Vienna Masters.
Melmac Sports is located at Vista Mall Imus, Aguinaldo Highway, Imus City. Reservations can be made via [email protected] or +63 968 118 8018.
