Manila Chooks set for battle at Cebu Masters

Manila Chooks

Manila Chooks hopes to overcome injury attrition as they rejigger their 3x3 World Tour campaign at the 2023 Chooks-to-Go FIBA 3x3 World Tour Cebu Masters next week at SM Seaside.

With Paul Desiderio and Dennis Santos ruled out due to injuries, Mac Tallo will rely on the trio of Marcus Hammonds, Marquez Letcher-Ellis, and Tosh Sesay to get Manila into the knockout rounds.

Tallo shares, "Kailangan talaga namin mag-adjust sa team after the sudden injuries nila Paul and Dennis. Pinilit talaga nila maglaro pero hindi talaga gumaling in time ang tuhod ni Paul and medical condition ni Dennis."

He adds, "Thankful din ako na nag-step up si Quez, Tosh and Marcus kasi matagal ko na sila nakakalaro and aligned kami sa gustong ma-achieve ng team dito sa Cebu Masters. We will play hard."

Even with their recent woes, Tallo believes that they will not be pushovers, as the 11th seeds are set to evade qualifying and enter into pool play against undetermined opponents.

The stacked field includes Ub Huishan NE of Serbia, Amsterdam HiPro, and Vienna; as well as a Miami-side that is anchored by BYU legend Jimmer Fredette.

Asian sides Sansar and Ulaanbaatar, both backed by MMC Energy, as well as Futian and Wuxi from China serve as excellent foils.

The field also includes fellow Filipino side Lubao MCFASolver, who earned their spot by winning the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 2023 Quest 3.0 as Quezon City Wilcon Home Depot, a tournament that Manila Chooks finished 3rd last month.

A cool $40,000 awaits the champion, with $30,000 to be rewarded for the runners-up.

Fans will be able to watch the Cebu Masters through the FIBA 3x3 YouTube channel as well as the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas page on Facebook.