Manila Chooks TM pooled with Liman, Lusail in Doha Masters

Manila Chooks TM's Alvin Pasaol, Santi Santillan, Troy Rike, and Joshua Munzon meet with FIBA 3x3 Competition Manager Nicolas Widmer and 3×3 Events and Partners Associate Valentina Mattioli during the technical meeting at Marriott Doha Tuesday evening.

The Doha Masters will feature a familiar matchup for Manila Chooks TM in pool play.

The Filipino quartet has been assigned to Pool A alongside Liman and Lusail.

Basketball fans will remember that Pasig Chooks defeated Liman in pool play in last year's edition of the Doha Masters, 19-16. That Pasig quartet featured current Manila Chooks TM's Joshua Munzon with Troy Rike listed as a reserve. Liman eventually made it to the knockout rounds, defeating Balanga Chooks in the quarterfinals, 21-9. That Balanga quartet featured current Manila Chooks TM's Alvin Pasaol and Leonard Santillan.

The two Chooks teams finished fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Munzon and Rike are ready for another crack against the top FIBA 3x3 club side when action takes place at the Al-Gharafa Sports Complex. The former shares, "It’s definitely going to be a test for us to square against those European teams but you know I think we’re ready mentally, physically. I think we’re ready as we can be and we’ll see how things go. I am confident with my team. We’re ready to get after it."

The latter adds, "We have played more recently than probably most of the other teams here. We’re kinda still in game mode and team mode heading right into that." Manila Chooks TM is fresh from participation in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup powered by TM in late October, where they won three out of four legs and the Grand Final.

Liman will feature 2017 3x3 World Tour MVP Stefan Stojacic, Stefan Kojic, Mihailo Vasic, and Aleksandar Ratkov. They will face off at 11:55pm Manila time.

Home side Lusail will field Vasileiadis Kostantinos, Ousseynou Mbow, Mame Ndour, and Hamza Radi. They will face off at 1:35am Manila time.

The top two teams in Pool A will face off against the top two of Pool C in the crossover quarterfinals the next day. Pool C is composed of NY Harlem, Lausanne, and Utena.

Manila Chooks TM is expected to hold its first in-venue practice on Wednesday, as they aspire for the $40,000 prize for the champion.