Lanete ends retirement to boost Cebu Chooks bid at Mongolian Challenger

Cebu Chooks

Chico Lanete steps up to the plate once again.

The 44-year-old is set to end his retirement and don the Chooks 3x3 kits once again for this weekend's FIBA 3x3 Sukhbaatar Challenger in Mongolia.

Lanete was an emergency replacement for Cebu Chooks!, after Lenda Douanga experienced problems exiting the Bureau of Immigration in spite of having a Mongolian visa.

He will join CJ Payawal, Isaiah Hontiveros, and Victor Nguidjol in the level nine tournament at the National Amusement Park, which offers slots to the Amsterdam Masters this coming October.

Lanete announced his retirement after playing in the inaugural Cebu Masters last year, where he played for Manila Chooks!

Chooks-to-Go President Ronald Mascariñas is convinced Lanete still has what it takes.

He shares, "Coach Chico's return to action will really  boost the team's morale and overall performance on the court. Again, this shows how much he wants to represent our country and make every Filipino proud."

Mascariñas adds, "His willingness to come out of retirement and step up exemplifies why we do what we do for Philippine 3x3 basketball. Our Olympic dream is very much alive and this tournament in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia will be another stepping for us to reach our goal of seeing another Philippine basketball team donning the flag in the Paris Olympics, the biggest stage in sports."

Cebu Chooks! is slotted into Pool D alongside two Top-15 teams in the 3x3 rankings, facing off against Jimmer Fredette and 9th-ranked Miami at 320pm, followed by 12-ranked Futian at 640pm.

A chance at the knockout rounds the next day beckons if they can survive those matchups.

The Challenger also features a stacked field, including the likes of Antwerp, Beijing, and hosts Ulaanbaatar.

$15,000 awaits the champion, with $10,000 and $6,000 being the financial reward for the podium finishers, as an additional incentive besides the World Tour berths.

The games will be streamed on Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas' Facebook page, as well as broadcast on FIBA 3x3's YouTube channel.

Lanete ruled out of President's Cup Grand Final

No Chico Lanete for the Grand Final.

Juan Gomez de Liano is not the only one who will sit out the Grand Final of the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup powered by TM.

Uling Roasters-Butuan City will be without Chico Lanete on Friday, as the veteran guard will be held out due to a swollen left shoulder.

According to the former PBA veteran, the injury happened during the fourth leg semifinal against Palayan City, and has since bothered him for the past couple of days.

The decision was made by the team to leave him out and field the quartet of Franky Johnson, Chris de Chavez, Karl Dehesa, and JR Alabanza for the good of the team, which has been seeded second and has earned a bye into the quarterfinals. This quartet has had experience during the President's Cup, as this combination was used in the second leg for a third place finish.

Chico shared during the league's Media Day on Thursday, "Napakabigat sa akin 'no kasi Grand Finals, siyempre, gusto ko talaga maglaro, pero wala akong choice. Mas healthy sila kaysa sa akin. 'Di ko naman ginusto magka-injury, pero may tiwala ako sa teammates ko."

Butuan City still believes they can manage, as according to team captain Dehesa, "Everyone in this team is a leader."

Chico Lanete joins Chooks Pilipinas 3x3

The newest member of the Chooks Pilipinas 3x3 community.

A veteran guard is making the transition.

Late last week, long-time PBA veteran Chico Lanete entered into the world of 3x3 basketball, becoming a playing assistant in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 program.

His input will be greatly valued by the different pro teams under the Chooks Pilipinas banner, especially since he will not only work with Eric Altamirano and his staff for the upcoming FIBA 3x3 World Tour campaign, but also will assist in the preparations for the Philippine men's 3x3 team in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year.

According league owner Ronald Mascariñas, "Having Chico around will be of great help to our players as 3x3 is a game of court awareness." He adds, "Being an undrafted player but still playing 12 years in the PBA should serve as an inspiration to our players as well as Chico proved that hard work trumps all.

The three time champion shares, "I've been wanting to be a coach nung padulo na ng career ko. Nagpapasalamat ako sa Chooks-to-Go for this opportunity na mag-give back sa new generation ng players at sa bagong sport na 3x3." The Ormoc native adds, "Gusto ko rin siyempre ma-try 'tong 3x3, kumbaga nasa bucket list ko ito. Alam ko kaya ko pa rin makipagsabayan kahit papano sa mga bata nating players."

Aside from his 3x3 duties both as a coach and as a player, he will still do 5x5 duties with the Sarangani franchise of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.