By REYNALD MAGALLON
CEBU CITY – Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 is in no way giving up on the Olympic dream.
Definitely not after the warm reception from the Cebuanos who came out in droves for the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Cebu Masters at the SM Seaside City here.
And while the two teams put up by Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas got the early boot in the tournament, the experience gave the teams a clearer picture of what level of 3×3 basketball they must achieve in order to be competitive against the world’s best.
“Sinasabi nila it is impossible until it becomes possible but we will plan every inch of the way ano bang kailangan, are we going to change some of our players whatever it will take but we’re not giving up on our ultimate objective na 2024 Olympics we will have a team sa Paris,” said Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascarinas following the conclusion of the tournament where Olympic Gold medalists Latvia’s Riga retained its spot at the top of the 3×3 food chain after beating World No. 3 Antwerp of Belgium in a thrilling 21-19 finale.
“Kapag tiningnan mo ngayon parang impossible but with proper planning, dedication and commitment we’re not giving up, it’s still doable,” he added.
Currently sitting at the 18th spot in the World rankings, the Philippines will need to maintain its place in the top 24 to get a shot at participating in the Olympic Qualifying tournament. From there, the country will need at least a top 3 finish to formally book a spot to the Paris Olympics.
The immediate plan for now for Mascarinas is to improve the teams’ line up by possibly tapping reinforcements from European countries – a ploy that has been utilized and worked wonders for other Asian teams from Japan and Mongolia.
Mascarinas also hinted at a possible change in the roster following the results of the Cebu Masters where both Cebu and Manila failed to advance to the playoffs – a far cry from their Manila Master performance where they reached the quarterfinals.
“That’s the immediate plan (tap European imports) tsaka sa countries like Latvia, Serbia, affordable ang imports unlike in developed countries kapag wala kang trabaho, mayroong social welfare,” said Mascarinas.
“Definitely ang objective natin is to qualify in the Olympics. If we maintain the same players there’s no way. so there will be changes, definitely,” he added.
