Cebu to host Chooks Pilipinas 3x3 second conference opener

Ronald Mascarinas addressing the crowd

In the aftermath of the success of the Chooks Pilipinas 3x3, the league will commence with its second conference by heading to Cebu.

League owner Ronald Mascariñas made the announcement earlier this month, during the send-off for the Pasig and Bataan teams to the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters in Doha.

"I'm glad to announce that the second conference of our league will open in Cebu on June 1," he disclosed. The SM Seaside Activity Center has been selected to host the opening leg.

The Bounty Agro-Ventures, Inc. head honcho continues, "With the support we got from the basketball-loving Cebuanos last January, we made sure to bring our league to them."

Back in January, in coordination with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, they set a FIBA-record 3,043 participants for a 3x3 tournament, involving the Sisters of Mary School Boystown and Girlstown.

According to league commissioner Eric Altimirano, the Patriots' Cup will be a reinforced conference, with teams being allowed to have a foreign player. He adds, "For the number of legs, we will limit it to at least five legs. Currently, FIBA might ask us to host another Super Quest as the sixth leg just like the President's Cup."

Coming off the success of the biggest 3x3 basketball festival in the world last January, Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 is set to bring the country's first-ever 3x3 league to Cebu.

Unlike the President's Cup, adding spice to the second conference is that each team will be allowed to field an import in the Patriots' Cup.

"The second conference will be a reinforced conference. We are going to allow one foreign player to play per team," unveiled league commissioner Eric Altamirano.

All twelve teams who took part in the President's Cup are expected to be involved in the Patriots' Cup, including the soon-to-be hosts Cebu-Max4 Birada and recent 3x3 World Tour participants Bataan Risers and Pasig Grindhouse.

The league is looking into the possibility of expanding the tourney by adding more teams, including the potential of having overseas squads.

Altamirano says, "We are looking at retaining the twelve pioneering teams. If there will be additions, we need to have at least four additional teams. We need to add teams by four for scheduling purposes. So it's either four to eight teams."

Mascariñas adds, "Currently, we have received interest from a couple of international teams as well. A Indonesian club and a Japanese club already talked to us during the Super Quest."