3x3 World Tour Cebu Masters set for launch

Miami x Manila in Cebu with the Sisters of Mary

The Chooks-to-Go FIBA 3x3 World Tour Cebu Masters starts today at the sprawling SM Seaside City Cebu, with the field including those that have made it to what the Philippines is trying to break into, the Summer Olympics.

The presence of players who were part of the inaugural edition in Tokyo, which includes the likes of Dejan Majstorovic and Dimeo van der Horst, serve as an inspiration for Manila Chooks mentor Chico Lanete, who shares, "It’s a motivation for us since there will be Olympians who will play here in the Cebu Masters."

The Philippines remains focused on earning their way into the Paris 2024 Games, and they aim to get as much points as they can to secure a chance to play into the competition, which will take place at Place de la Concorde at the heart of the French capital.

With two key local cogs still sidelined due to injuries in Paul Desiderio and Dennis Santos, Tallo will rely on a familiar face in Marcus Hammonds and a couple of relative newcomers in Marquez Letcher-Ellis and former UC standout Tosh Sesay. Both Desiderio and Santos have made the trip down South to provide support and encouragement.

The team participated recently in scrimmages against a Miami side led by BYU icon Jimmer Fredette, something that Lanete appreciates. He says, "We’re also blessed because there are teams that want to play with us. Like Miami, they were the ones who asked for a tune-up game. It’s a big help for us."

Fredette acknowledges how much the Philippines loves its basketball. He shares, "The Philippines have been very, very busy with basketball this summer, and we hope to be able to put on a show. I know this is a basketball-crazy country. Even the guy who picked us up was telling me all about how the people here just love basketball, they love the NBA, they love 3x3."

Joining Jimmer in this competition are Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox, and Dylan Travis.

Manila Chooks will open up its campaign in Pool C against Vienna at 420pm, and close it out against Futian at 820pm. The matchup between Vienna and the van der Horst-led Futian will be at 620pm.

Miami, on the other hand, starts things off against either Lubao MCFASolver Tech Centrale, Taichung Hong Jia, or Auckland at 445pm. The three teams will duke it out in a round robin for that opportunity to open the World Tour leg at 1245pm. The Americans. will conclude their pool play against Ulaanbaatar at 645pm.

Kicking off pool play will be the Majstorovic-led Ub Huishan NE, who are seeking to bounce back consecutive fifth-place finishes after winning the first five legs of the 2023 World Tour, including the one that took place in Manila. They play Wuxi at 320pm in Pool A, with their matchup against Sansar MMC Energy a couple of hours later.

Completing the Pools is Pool B, highlighted by the presence of Amsterdam HiPRO, San Juan, and Paris. The Dutch face the Puerto Ricans first at 345pm, followed by their matchup against the French a couple of hours later. San Juan vs Paris takes place a couple of hours after that.

Outstanding teams will advance into the knockout rounds, which will start at 4pm Sunday at the same venue.

The champion takes home a $40,000 purse, with the runner-up settling for $30,000.

In case one will not be able to get to SM Seaside City Cebu, they can check out the action either at the FIBA 3x3 YouTube page, or through the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas page on Facebook.