Joshua Munzon, Alvin Pasaol, Troy Rike, and Santi Santillan are returning to their 5-on-5 roots.
The four pioneers in Philippine 3×3 basketball have opted not to re-sign with Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3, instead announcing their intention to enter the 2021 PBA Rookie Draft, Tuesday evening.
The contracts of the four players end in December.
Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 posted a thank you message to the quartet for helping the country go to the 2021 FIBA 3X3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament set next year in Graz, Austria.
“Thank you Joshua Munzon, Alvin Pasaol, Troy Rike, and Leonard Santillan for making our country proud over the last two years.
“We at Chooks-to-Go won’t hinder you from achieving your dreams. Good luck on your next journey! All of you will always be a Manok ng Bayan!” read the league’s statement.
Two-time champion Munzon — a 25-year-old, 6-foot-2 swingman who completed his D-League residency in 2019 with AMA — rose through the ranks to eventually become the no. 1 3×3 player in the country.
Pasaol, who is also 25 and is a burly 6-foot-4 forward, sits at no. 2. The Davao City-native, who played for Petron-Letran in the D-League, is a two-time champion as well.
Santillan, 24, is an athletic 6-foot-5 forward who hails from Lapu-Lapu City. The La Salle product, who completed his D-League residency last year with Marinerong Pilipino, is a two-time champion and is the sixth-ranked 3×3 player in the country.
Finally, Rike, 25, stands at 6-foot-8. The fifth-ranked 3×3 player, who also played for AMA last year, is the all-time leader in the money board in the domestic 3×3 league, having won the tournament thrice.
Sources have told Tiebreaker Times that the fear of receiving a lifetime ban by the PBA for skipping their second draft was what led to the quartet declaring for it.
