PBA 3x3 set for take-off

MANILA, Philippines — It’s all systems go, no matter what, for the PBA’s inaugural 3x3 season to start next Saturday, Nov. 20, at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig with a six-leg, three-conference format featuring three Grand Finals. Game schedules are ready for Alert Level 2 or 3 as tournament director Joey Guanio has prepared contingency plans in case IATF reverts Metro Manila back to Alert Level 3 beyond Nov. 21.

Several PBA veterans are listed in the lineups of the 13 participating teams. It’s a pathway for them to make a statement that they still belong in the league. Among the veterans are Mac Cardona, Larry Fonacier, Dylan Ababou, Matt Salem, Val Acuna, LA Revilla, Prince Rivero, Karl Dehesa, Yutien Andrada, Michael Calisaan, Jeepy Faundo, Lervin Flores, Almond Vosotros, Kyles Lao, Bacon Austria, Louie Vigil, JR Cawaling, Roider Cabrera, Dexter Maiquez, Dennice Villamor, Ken Holmqvist, Mike Gamboa, Joseph Eriobu, Jorey Napoles, Pao Javelona, Samboy de Leon, Kyle Neypes, Leo de Vera and Joseph Sedurifa.

The 13 teams and their head coaches are: Barangay Ginebra (Kirk Collier), TNT (Mau Belen), NorthPort (Jaren Jarencio), Sista Super Sealers (Juven Formacil), Meralco (Patrick Fran), Platinum Karaoke (Anton Altamirano), Cavitex (Borgie Hermida), Zamboanga Valientes (Joseph Romarate), Terrafirma (Raymond Tiongco), Pioneer Pro Tibay (Lester del Rosario), Limitless App (Willy Wilson), Purefoods (Tonyboy Espinosa) and San Miguel Beer (Boysie Zamar).

PBA 3x3 chairman and Alaska governor Dicky Bachmann said the tournament’s focus is for the pro league to continue being the leader in Philippine basketball by institutionalizing 3x3, now an Olympic event. “We want to create a bigger pool of players for SBP to earn points so they may represent the country in the future,” he said. “We’ve been talking to FIBA and they’re excited that we’ll finally launch our very own 3x3 format. This is also another viable new option for basketball players and fans.” Aside from the veterans out to prove themselves, newcomers are itching to do the same thing. Jeremiah Grey, Brandon Rosser, James Mangahas, David Murrell, A. C. Soberano, Jollo Go, Hubert Cani, Mikey Cabahug, Robin Rono and Tonino Gonzaga will try to make a case for themselves as prospects for 5x5.

Guanio said under Alert Level 2, games will be held in NCR in closed circuit format and under Alert Level 3, the tournament will be held outside of NCR in full or semi bubble. RT-PCR testing will be done every Monday and antigen testing each game day. There will be 31 games in each leg and 186 for the six legs. The full season composed of three conferences will end in April. The champion of each leg pockets P100,000 and the Grand Finals winner earns P750,000. “The purpose of the legs is to determine the 10 teams that will be in the Grand Finals,” explained Guanio. “All will be computed through ranking points made by the FIBA 3x3 event maker app. The Grand Finals will be a totally different entity where only the top 10 teams qualify.”