Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio on Thursday unveiled the 12-man talent pool for the men’s 3×3 event of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
That roster in which the federation will choose four players from to play in the meet is made up of PBA players, headed by flashy point guard and veteran internationalist Terrence Romeo.
However, the pool does not feature even one player from the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 league, which is the home of the country’s top-ranked 3×3 players — including top two Filipino players Joshua Munzon and Alvin Pasaol.
None in the current pool are in the top 100 of the country.
Asked why did the SBP decide to go all-PBA, Panlilio said it is the best choice as they aim no less than a gold medal.
“Well we want to make sure that we have the best players and we want to win the gold,” said the amiable executive.
Panlilio added that the SBP also honors the commitment of Asia’s pioneering five-on-five basketball league is giving the national team.
“It’s part of the commitment of the PBA supporting the SBP programs in both five-on-five and 3×3,” he said.
This isn’t the first time the SBP has opted to pick other players instead of the ones from Chooks 3×3.
The most recent one was in the FIBA Asia Cup 3×3 last May 24-26, where a team made up of youngsters Ricci Rivero, RJ Abarrientos, Barkley Eboña, and Rhayyan Amsali were sent.
