Aldin Ayo departs from Chooks 3x3

The Philippine 3x3 scene was jolted this past week with the news that head trainer Aldin Ayo is departing from his role with Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas.

Ayo acknowledged that he made the decision with a heavy heart, as he had to exit the program to spend time with his ailing mother, who has been recently diagnosed with stage four cancer.

The 44-year-old is an only child, hence his desire to devote his time and attention towards her.

He shares, "It was a tough decision to leave Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas but I need to be on my mom's side in the battle that she is facing."

The champion head coach adds, "I’m very grateful to Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. and Boss Ronald Mascariñas for giving me the opportunity to train and coach the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 National Team and to represent the country through the sport we love most. I’m forever grateful."

Ayo took over head trainer duties in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 program from Eric Altamirano back in November 2020, and it was under his stewardship that the team secured a title in the pro circuit, the 2022 Chooks-to-Go FIBA 3x3 Super Quest, their first since 2014.

Mascariñas shares, "We are thankful for the service of Coach Aldin Ayo not just to our teams but also to our organization. He brought a lot of changes to the way our team was run. Coach Aldin will always be family to us and we will be here for him and his family in these trying times."

Stepping in for the role in an interim capacity is Chico Lanete, with Ayo helping in the transition process.

Manila HeiHei wins Chooks 3x3 Invitational

Mac Tallo was the Best Player of the Game in the 21-6 final for Manila HeiHei

It was the Mac Tallo show at the Laus Events Centre in San Fernando, Pampanga on Wednesday, as Manila HeiHei finished atop the 2021 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 Invitational.

Much like the cars being showcased in the different showrooms nearby, Tallo revved out and torched the 3x3 opposition, finishing undefeated in the one-day tournament supported by TM, Wilson Basketball, Homegrown Grains, and Adam Ezli.

The former SWU standout outscored Pasig Kingpin by himself in the final, dropping thirteen points on five two-pointers and lead Manila to a 21-6 victory with 4:41 left in the ten-minute matchup.

Manila went on an 8-1 lead and never looked back, with Tallo scoring seven of those. He and Chico Lanete put in the work on defense as well, checking the Monteclaro brothers. Ryan and Nikki, who each had their way from deep all tournament long, were limited to just a point each.

Zach Huang added five markers while defending Toba Eugene. Mike Nzeusseu bucked a hand injury in their 18-10 semifinal against ARQ Builders-Cebu to tack on a couple of points. The former Lyceum standout got the knock battling with Landry Sanjo for a rebound with 118 seconds remaining in their grueling match.

Manila HeiHei would net PhP 110,000 with the victory, with the additional PhP 10,000 coming from the final being the Fastest Game of the tournament.

Manila head trainer Aldin Ayo was pleased with the result. He shares, "Happy that this tournament happened. I hope that they got the confidence and the rhythm. It's important that we simulate the actual situations and we can't do that in practice."

On whether Nzeusseu's injury could affect their upcoming stint in the 2021 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Abu Dhabi Masters, Ayo says, "Malayo sa bituka yun e. I hope he recovers in time for Abu Dhabi. He has a big responsibility with our team and he has to overcome that. It's not a major injury."

To get to the final, Pasig dispatched Essen Immunoboost Sarangani, 21-15. In finishing second, they are PhP 50,000 richer. Sarangani netted PhP 20,000 for the third place finish.

In the side events for the FIBA 3x3-endorsed and Games and Amusements Board-regulated tournament, Janus Lozada of AMACOR Mandaluyong claimed the two-point shootout after going 9/10, netting PhP 10,000. As for the newly-renamed Sudan Slam Dunk Competition, David Carlos beat Nhomar Gonzales and Lennon Abiso to earn PhP 20,000.

Tallo knocked down the championship-clinching deuce with 4:41 left, marking the finals as the fastest game of the day as well. It gave them an additional P10,000 on top of their P100,000 prize in this tournament endorsed by FIBA 3x3, regulated by the Games and Amusements Board.

Kicking off the knockout rounds and setting up the semifinal dramatics, Mandaluyong ran out of luck against Cebu, 19-21; Homegrown Grains Bocaue fell short against Sarangani, 15-21; Pacquiao Coffee Bacolod got outsniped by Pasig, 15-21; and BRT Sumisip Basilan ran into the Manila freight train, 10-21. 

The Scores:

Manila 21 - Tallo 13, Huang 5, Nzeusseu 2, Lanete 1.

Pasig 6 - Eugene 3, Monteclaro R. 1, Monteclaro N. 1, Belencion 1.

Chooks 3x3 Invitational to prepare Manila Chooks for World Tour stint

Aldin Ayo

Aldin Ayo is just happy that 3x3 competition in the country is set to resume Wednesday, with the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 Invitational powered by TM taking place at the Laus Group Events Centre in San Fernando, Pampanga.

The Manila Chooks head coach shares, "I'm happy because we are going to have games which we lacked. Yung first game natin lagi tayo nagstruggle tapos second game nakaka-adjust. Hopefully, after this, we learn more about adjusting in tournaments."

The two stints in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour are the only competitions Manila Chooks has participated this year, with a 13th place finish in Doha back in March and an 11th place finish in Montreal last month. The pandemic has shut down 3x3 competition both locally and regionally.

Manila Chooks is expected to compete in the Abu Dhabi leg of the 3x3 World Tour on October 29-30, and the invitational is a perfect opportunity to prepare for the competition.

For the invitational, Ayo has enlisted Chico Lanete, Mac Tallo, Zach Huang, and Lyceum alumnus Mike Nzeusseu to represent Manila as Manila HeiHei. Manila Chooks reserves Mark Yee and Dennis Santos, who comprised half of the team in Montreal, are tapped to play with Homegrown Grains Bocaue with Ralph Tansingco and Jayvee Marcelino.

Manila is slotted with Adam Esli Pasay and Pacquiao Coffee Bacolod in Pool A, while Bocaue joins MNL Kingpin Quezon City and ARQ Builders-Cebu in Pool B.

Pool C consists of Pasig Kingpins, Zamboanga Valientes MLV, and BRT Sumisip-Basilan, with remaining teams AMACOR Mandaluyong, Essen Immunoboost Sarangani and RBR Cabiao Nueva Ecija in Pool D.

Standard 3x3 tournament rules apply for this invitational, with the top two teams in Pool A facing off with Pool C and Pool B with Pool D in the crossover knockout rounds.

Ayo acknowledges Manila's status as favorites, noting that they "are going to accept the challenge but what is important is we improve."

The multi-titled head coach also expessed appreciation to league owner Ronald Mascariñas, who ensured a tournament is slated to take place.

"We know that this is not easy and this is not cheap. Ginagawa eto ni Sir Ronald to help us gain points for the 2024 Paris Olympics," expressed Ayo.

The 2021 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 Invitational powered by TM and supported by Gatorade is endorsed by FIBA 3x3 and regulated by the Games and Amusements Board. Action will be streamed both on the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas page on Facebook as well as the FIBA 3x3 YouTube channel.

Mayhem set for 3x3 test in Doha

Chico Lanete to lead Manila Chooks TM on the 3x3 court for the Doha Masters

3x3 basketball is about to be injected with "Mayhem."

Aldin Ayo's philosophy is about make it debut in the FIBA 3X3 World Tour when the new-look Manila Chooks TM makes its trip to Qatar for the Doha Masters this weekend.

The quartet of Chico Lanete, Mac Tallo, Zachy Huang, and Dennis Santos will take part in qualifying, facing off against Graz at 730pm and Doha at 805pm.

They all believe that Aldin's system can work in 3x3.

"Sa practice pa lang, talagang banggaan na talaga. Napakalakas na rin nila yung katawan namin," said Santos, the tallest in the team at 6-foot-5.

"Going back sa UST days ko, ganun pa rin yung schemes ni Coach Aldin. Same approach pa rin tulad ng ginawa namin kaya naka-Finals kami nung UAAP Season 82 ang ginawa niya dito para sa amin," added Huang, a 6-foot-2 post creator.

The Filipinos will have to deal with some major height disadvantage, with 6-foot-9 Fabricio Vay and 6-foot-7 Filip Krämer comprising half of Graz and 6-foot-7 Abdelrahman Yehia Abdelhaleem and 6-foot-10 Souley Ndour being half of the hosts. Survive that, and they will have to deal with the two major American teams in the tour: NY Harlem and Princeton.

Even with the odds stacked against them, Lanete believes they can overcome it. He says, "Sa darating na laban, siyempre maliliit kami pero ang ibibigay namin sa kanila eh yung bilis namin saka outside shooting. Yun ang power namin."

Aldin Ayo named as Chooks Pilipinas 3x3 head coach

Aldin Ayo with Ronald Mascarinas

3x3 basketball is in for some "mayhem."

Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas officially named Aldin Ayo as their head coach for their FIBA competitions, officially unveiling him on Monday afternoon at the Manila City Hall with members of Manila Chooks TM and Isko Moreno.

He shares, "I'm very grateful because, for me, this will bring another dimension to my coaching career."

Ayo adds, "Throughout my coaching career, it was the full-length of the court, but this time will be different. I can't wait to try out new schemes for half-court."

3x3 patron Ronald Mascariñas says the decision was a "personal choice," and adds, "He is the most decorated coach in college right now and we are excited that he is now here with us."

The 43-year-old replaces Eric Altamirano, who stepped down on November 1 after overseeing the ascent of the Philippines in the 3x3 scene.

When asked about the departure, Bounty Agro-Ventures Inc.'s Sports and Marketing Director Mel Macasaquit says, "Both parties are on good terms. We will still be working with Coach Eric in the future."

Even if this will be his first foray into 3x3 basketball, Ayo comes in with a proven track record of on-court success in 5x5 basketball, having led Letran and La Salle to championships in their respective leagues.

He spent last year rejuvenating a University of Santo Tomas side, bringing them back to the Finals for the first time in four seasons.

Ayo will not be with Manila Chooks TM when they participate in the Doha Masters later this month, but is expected to pencil in some training sessions before the year ends.

He already is familiar with the players comprising the team, having coached Leonard Santillan in DLSU, tried to recruit Alvin Pasaol and Troy Rike to join his program when they were still in college, and coached in the PBA D-League with Ironcon-UST when Joshua Munzon scored 46 points against them when he played for AMA.

Ayo, Jarin, named as co-Coach of the Year

The UAAP-NCAA Press Corps revealed its first batch of awardees for the Collegiate Basketball Awards.

The Press Corps is rewarding both Aldin Ayo and Jamike Jarin as the Coach of the Year for this past season, as both guided their respective teams to championships.

Ayo continued his tradition of winning tournaments in his first year of charge. One season after taking his alma mater Letran back to the NCAA championship, he then leads La Salle back to the UAAP championship, doing so against archrivals Ateneo. In the process, he became the first coach to win the award for both leagues.

Jarin bounced back from falling short last year for San Beda by reclaiming the championship over Arellano in the NCAA. It would be his last title with the Red Lions, as he has since taken the helm of National University for the upcoming UAAP season.

Notable winners for annual award include Norman Black, Frankie Lim, Eric Altamirano, Boyet Fernandez, Louie Alas, Nash Racela, Ato Agustin, and Juno Sauler.

Also set to be handed out by the Press Corps are the SMART Player of the Year and the Collegiate Mythical Five presented by Mighty Sports. Other notable awards to be given out include Pivotal Player, Impact Player, Super Senior and Mr. Efficiency

The Collegiate Basketball Awards will take place on January 26, with the event being backed by SMART, Accel, Mighty Sports, and MJM Productions.

Nash Racela and Aldin Ayo named Coach of the Year

The UAAP-NCAA Press Corps selected a couple of coaches who each ended a decade of drought in collegiate basketball as its Coach of the Year.

Nash Racela and Aldin Ayo will share the alum after leading their respective schools to the men's basketball championship this past season.

In what will turn out to be his lone season in charge with the Knights, Ayo brought a team that missed out on the Final Four back to the promised land, denying then-defending champions San Beda a shot at making history in becoming what could have been the first NCAA school to bag the crown for six straight seasons.

The newly-minted head coach of La Salle is the fourth head coach to be bestown his honor in his first season, joining Ato Agustin (2009 with San Sebastian), Juno Sauler (2013 with La Salle), and Boyet Fernandez (2013 with San Beda).

Racela, on the other hand, masterfully managed the Tamaraws' depth and leadership to outlast the University of Santo Tomas.

The duo joins an illustrious group of basketball minds like Norman Black, Frankie Lim, Eric Altamirano, and Louie Alas who have secured the nod.

The awarding is set to take place on January 26, where the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps and SMART Sports will host the Collegiate Basketball Awards.

The event will also honor its SMART Player of the Year and Collegiate Mythical Five, in addition to the Coach of the Year.