Asia Tour 3×3, a brand new international 3×3 competition featuring national teams and esteemed clubs across Asia and Oceania, kicks off in style from April 22 to 23 at SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.
Reigning PBA 3×3 grand slam champions TNT Tropang Giga banner the list with coach Mau Belen and is composed of Luis Villegas, Ping Exciminiano, Gryann Mendoza, and import Raoul Odou.
TNT is just one of the five Philippine clubs to see action in the men’s division, including CAVITEX, Happy Hotels, Zamboanga Valientes, and Demigod PH.
They will lock horns against the Vietnamese and Singaporean national teams, three Malaysian sides, another club team from Vietnam, and 3BL India.
Meanwhile, Kaye Pingol spearheads Uratex Dream with the Philippines, banking on Uratex Tibay and Discovery Perlas in the eight-team women’s division.
But they’re facing stiff competition against Sniper Thailand, two teams from Harimau Malaysia, and the national teams of Vietnam and Singapore.
All will be streamed live on the Smart Sports Facebook page.
“We want to provide more opportunities for teams and players within the Asia and Oceania regions to develop in 3×3 basketball. The Manila competition is the inaugural event that will launch this platform and expand into a multi-city competition with various host cities,” said Connor Nguyen, Asia Tour 3×3 director of the organizing committee.
Winners of the men’s division will take home USD 10,000, with the second-placer at USD 5,000 and the third-placer at USD 2,500. Meanwhile, champions in the women’s division will bag USD 5,000 and the runner-up at USD 2,500.
The men’s division will be divided into four groups of three. The top-seeded teams in each group will earn an outright quarterfinals berth while the second and third-ranked teams will play in a crossover knockout stage to advance to the final eight. Winners then advance to the semifinals and the championship game.
On the women’s side, teams will be placed in two groups of four with the top two teams from each group facing off in the crossover semifinals, and the winners colliding in the championship game.
The Asia Tour 3×3 2023 edition is a pro event classified as a Fiba Lite Quest level five competition qualifying for a Fiba Challenger event.
