Titans, ZOOS Tokyo claim remaining Manila Hustle automatic quarterfinal seats

c/o Manila Hustle

TITANS marched on to the quarterfinals of Manila Hustle 3x3 Season 3 after going unblemished in pool play Saturday at SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

Last year’s runner-up was all business in Pool C as the quartet of Supavadee Kunchuan, Lina Nakazawa, Trina Guytingco, and Stefanie Berberabe dominated their group, earning wins over Royals Basketball (15-7), Uratex Tibay (21-15), and Tokyo BB (21-16).

With the victory, Titans now lie in wait for the winner of the qualification to the quarterfinal between Dinoman Hansol and Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 Women in this tilt co-presented by Uratex, Smart, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

Gilas settled for the third seed in Pool D due to inferior points scored even if they took down defending champion Zoos Tokyo, 21-19, in overtime and fended off Harimau Malaysia, 16-10, in the nightcap.

Jhaz Joson delivered the booming deuce in front of a capacity crowd to inflict the first defeat to the Japanese club.

Still, Zoos Tokyo ended up on top of the group after a three-way tie for first with Panthers 3x3 and Gilas Women with their identical 2-1 records, as the squad led by world no. 55 Ama Degbeon earned the final outright quarterfinal seat and will meet the victor of the clash between Uratex Tibay and Jumpshot.

Meanwhile, Pool B top seed Uratex Dream will face the winner of the Panthers 3x3 and Gilas Women 3x3 U23, while XD await the survivor of the Tokyo BB-Shoot It Dragons clash in this tourney which has Titan as official partner, together with Wilson, Seiko, B’lue, Secret Fresh, BDO, Jollibee, TRYP by Wyndham, Jisulife, Rexona, Senka, and Laurin.

At stake is the USD4,000 cash prize and an invite to the WKBL Triple Jam later this year. The runner-up will take home USD2,500 and the third placer USD1,500.

Games will still be livestreamed on the Manila Hustle 3x3 Facebook page, as well as on the Smart Sports and Puso Pilipinas pages.

Uratex Dream, XD secure automatic Manila Hustle quarterfinal spots

c/o Manila Hustle

URATEX Dream and XD were the first two teams to book quarterfinal spots in Manila Hustle 3x3 Season 3 after topping their respective pools during the early portion of preliminary action Saturday at SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

Kaye Pingol, the country’s top-ranked women’s 3x3 player, guided the Dream to a perfect 3-0 run in Pool B to earn the outright ticket to the final eight.

She was unstoppable in their 18-10 rout of New Zealand Creamery before hurdling Shoot It Dragons, 21-17, and a dominant 21-12 win over Jumpshot Singapore in this tourney co-presented by Uratex, Smart, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

“Yung Dream talaga ngayon is sobrang mature. Marunong na kami mag-close out ng games and alam na namin kung paano mag-adjust para makuha pa rin yung panalo,” said Pingol, who linked up with Afril Bernardino, Sam Harada, and Chinese center Li Renzhu in the undefeated stretch.

XD of Japan also did the same feat after going spotless in Pool A, including a thrilling 21-19 overtime win over Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 U23.

Momoko Saito scored the last four points for the Japanese crew, including the OT-forcing drive in the final 10 seconds to stun their younger foes.

XD earlier flaunted its muscle with a 21-7 mugging of Army Altama before an 18-11 nipping of Dinoman Hansol of Korea.

Making it through to the qualification to the quarterfinals are Dinoman Hansol (2-1) and Gilas Womens 3x3 U23 (1-2) from Pool A, as well as Jumpshot (2-1) and Shoot It Dragons (1-2) from Pool B.

Army Altama and New Zealand Creamery, both winless in their respective pools, have been eliminated from the Philippine women’s 3x3 international invitational which also has Titan as official partner, together with Wilson, Seiko, B’lue, Secret Fresh, BDO, Jollibee, TRYP by Wyndham, Jisulife, Rexona, Senka, and Laurin.

The afternoon session, which features teams from Pool C and Pool D, are still playing their group stage games as of press time.

ZOOS set for Manila Hustle title defense

Ama Degbeon

AOI Katsura is still confident in Zoos Tokyo’s chances to defend their Manila Hustle 3x3 throne even if she’s not with the team.

The Season 2 Most Outstanding Player-turned-team owner understands the enormous pressure that falls on the shoulders of her team, but is nonetheless excited to see the Japanese club rise to the occasion.

“It’s going to be a challenging task but at the same time, I have full confidence in their great potential—both as individual players and as a team—so anything is possible. I believe they are the ones who will make it happen,” she said ahead of their title retention bid in this tourney co-presented by Uratex, Smart, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

World no. 55 Ama Degbeon is the lone holdover from last year’s unit as she will be joined by Japanese under-23 standouts Fatoumanana Nishi, Maya Tahira, and Miran Kikuchi.

This, Katsura said, is by design, saying that the project was “to provide various opportunities for future players.”

But that doesn’t mean that Zoos Tokyo is going to be a pushover this year.

Degbeon, for her part, is hungry to show that she can still lead the team to the top in this tilt which also has Titan as official partner, together with Wilson, Seiko, B’lue, Secret Fresh, BDO, Jollibee, TRYP by Wyndham, Jisulife, Rexona, Senka, and Laurin.

“Of course, it’s a big motivation to repeat as champions, but more than anything, we want to focus on giving our all in every game and the goal is always to win,” said the German forward.

Zoos, however, has its work cut out for it as it finds itself in a tough Pool D together with Gilas Women 3x3, Panthers 3x3 of Spain, and Harimau Malaysia.

The winner of the Philippine 3x3 women's international invitational will take home the USD4,000 cash prize and an invite to the WKBL Triple Jam later this year.

Philippines vs Rest of the World in third edition of Manila Hustle 3x3

Smart Sports First Vice President and Head of Sports Jude Turcuato, Manila Hustle 3x3 tournament director Peachy Cheng-Medina, and SBP executive director Erika Dy. Photo from Manila Hustle 3x3

CAN the Filipino teams reclaim the crown and defend the home court?

That’s going to be the biggest challenge for the seven local teams in the Manila Hustle 3x3 Season 3 this weekend at SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

Leading the charge will be the two national teams, Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 Women and Gilas Pilipinas U23 3x3 Women, as they try to rule the 16-team field in this tilt co-presented by Uratex, Smart, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

Jhazmin Joson, Camille Clarin, Mikka Cacho, and Hazelle Yam will be the quartet for the seniors team while Season 1 MVP Kacey dela Rosa will backstop the under-23 crew together with Tine Cayabyab, Cielo Pagdulagan, and Elaine Etang.

Titans, last year’s runner-up, is also back in the fold with Stefanie Berberabe joining the trio of Trina Guytingco, Thai star Bo Supavadee, and Japanese beanpole Lina Nakazawa.

Also feeling the pressure is the country’s top-ranked 3x3 player Kaye Pingol who will lead Uratex Dream together with Afril Bernardino, Sam Harada, and Chinese center Li Renzhu.

But for the former National U standout, having this chip on their shoulder is natural.

“Alam namin kung gaano kabigat yung kalaban this season kaya determined kami, hindi lang yung Dream kung hindi lahat ng Filipino teams, na makapagpakita at manalo,” she said.

Aside from the four, also ready to defend our shores are Army Altama, New Zealand Creamery, and Uratex Tibay.

But it won’t be easy, especially with a bumper crop field out to conquer the half court led by Paris Olympian and world no. 22 Kacie Bosch of Panthers 3x3 from Spain and world no. 55 Ama Degbeon of defending champion Zoos Tokyo.

Panthers emerge as the dark horse in the tourney, not just with Bosch but also Fiba 3x3 Women’s Series veterans Ari Geli, Saicha Grant-Allen, and Christina Buttenham.

Zoos, however, believes that the biggest target is still on its back, with Degbeon still on the lead sans last year’s Most Outstanding Player Aoi Katsura.

Rounding out this season’s casts are Tokyo BB and XD from Japan, Dinoman Hansol of Korea, Royals Basketball of Australia, Jumpshot of Singapore, Shoot It Dragons of Thailand, and Harimau Malaysia.

Competition starts at 10 a.m. with teams playing in a single round robin in four groups of four. The top-seeds will earn an automatic quarterfinal berth while the second and third-place teams fighting in the wildcard of this tourney which also has Titan as official partner, together with Wilson, Seiko, B’lue, Secret Fresh, BDO, Jollibee, TRYP by Wyndham, Jisulife, Rexona, Senka, and Laurin.

At stake in the Philippine 3x3 women’s international invitational is the USD4,000 cash prize and an invitation to the WKBL Triple Jam later this year, with the runner-up bagging USD2,500 and the third placer USD1,500.

Games will be livestreamed on the Manila Hustle 3x3 Facebook page, as well as on the Smart Sports and Puso Pilipinas pages.

Manila Hustle set for third season

A few of the Manila Hustle 3x3 participants with Peachy Medina, Jude Turcuato, and Erika Dy

ZOOS Tokyo looks to attempt to defend their title when the third edition of the Manila Hustle 3x3 this weekend.

The third edition of the competition co-presented by Uratex, SMART, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas sees fifteen other teams try to topple the Japanese quartet at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

However, this edition of ZOOS will be quite different, with only Ama Degbeon returning. Team owner and incumbent MVP Aoi Katsura is sidelined this time around, but aside from the 55th-ranked Ama, the 219th-ranked Maya Tahira is set to participate, alongside Miran Kikuchi and Fatoumanana Nishi.

They also have slotted into Pool D, where they will face off in the prelims against Gilas Women 3x3, Panthers 3x3, and Harimau Malaysia.

Gilas Women are looking to kickstart their year off the right note with the Ateneo duo of Jhazmin Joson, Hazelle Yam joining forces with two of the brightest from National University in Mikka Cacho and Camille Clarin.

Spanish basketball sensation Ari Geli leads the Barcelona-based Panthers, which will also have the 22nd-ranked Kacie Bosch in her corner.

Seeking to bounce back after losing in the finals is Titans, who are slotted into Pool C with Uratex Tibay, Tokyo BB Japan, and Royals Basketball Australia.

Titans managed to make it that far in spite of losing Trina Guytingco due to injury in their first matchup. She's back again this time, alongside Bo Supavadee and Lina Nakazawa. Replacing Jhaz for this quartet is Stef Berberabe.

In Group A, Gilas Women U23 leads the pack, with inaugural MVP Kacey dela Rosa teaming up with fellow UAAP standouts Cielo Pagdulagan, Tin Cayabyab, and Elaine Etang. Serving as challengers to the youngsters are an Army Altama side led by Gilas Women shooter Janine Pontejos, Korean side Dinoman Hansol, and Japanese squad XD.

Rounding out the field is Pool B, where Uratex Dream leads the charge. Gilas Women stalwart Afril Bernardino and the top-ranked Filipina in the 3x3 scene Kaye Pingol take charge. Serving as their foil are local side New Zealand Creamery, Jumpshot Singapore, and Thai quartet Shoot It Dragons.

Format follows standard guidelines set by FIBA 3x3, with the top team of each pool advancing to the semifinals, with the second and third-place teams having to face off to earn their way into the final eight in this two-day competition.

The champion takes home US $4,000 and an invitation to participate in the WKBL 3x3 tournament later this year. The runner-up bags US $2,500, while the third placer nets US $1,500.

Complementing the basketball action for this two-day event is a performance from the StreetQueens on Saturday and a Slam Dunk contest between David Carlos, Aldous Torculas, and Ashon Andrews, with DJ Bigboy Cheng, Alyssa Valdez, and Jared Dillinger serving as judges.

No action will be missed with the festivities being streamed not only on the tournament's page on Facebook, but also on SMART Sports and Puso Pilipinas.

Joson ready to claim the moment at Manila Hustle

c/o FIBA

Same objective, different circumstances.

Jhazmin Joson seeks to secure a championship at the upcoming third edition of the Manila Hustle 3x3 tournament.

Having reached the championship game last year with Titans, the Ateneo alumna has been tapped to be a key figure for Gilas Women in this competition, which will take place on February 8-9 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

The national team lost all three of its matches in last year's edition to finish in 13th place, using the competition as a starting point that saw them participate in the FIBA 3x3 Women's Series this past season.

Armed with that experience, the Gilas Women quartet looks ready to make improvements in the upcoming invitational, which is co-presented by Uratex, Smart, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas. Aside from Jhazmin, they also tapped Hazelle Yam from Discovery Perlas to join forces with holdovers Camille Clarin and Mikka Cacho.

Jozon shares, "I’m very motivated. I feel like being on a different team will give me so much fire because I’ve been playing with these girls for a while now."

She adds about their overseas work, "Experiencing that level of competition for sure will definitely help us out."

The Los Angeles native also notes, "Everyone came from a different background in college, but since we’ve known and played together for a year, we have a feel of how the system is. We are more familiar with our roles and how we can make each other better and how to play together."

In sharing what stands out for this Gilas Women quartet, Jozon says, "What makes us different is our grit, that we go beyond our reach because we have what it takes. We definitely go beyond what is asked."

And with regards to what the opposition will be seeing from this unit, she highlights, "So expect us to fight every second of the game and expect us that it won’t be easy to go against us."

Gilas Women will be one of seven local teams seeking to dethrone defending champions ZOOS in this tournament, hich has Titan as official partner, together with Wilson, Seiko, B’lue, Secret Fresh, BDO, Jollibee, TRYP by Wyndham, Jisulife, Rexona, and Laurin.

Gilas Women set to participate in third Manila Hustle 3x3

c/o Manila Hustle 3x3

Sixteen teams are set to participate in the 2025 edition of Manila Hustle 3x3, which will take place on February 8-9 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

Almost half of the teams will be local, with some of these squads having members of Gilas Women involved.

The national team will have representation in the competition, which is co-presented by Uratex, SMART, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, as it will field a quartet led by Camille Clarin and Jhaz Joson. At the same time, they are also fielding a U23 team.

Top-ranked Filipina Kaye Pingol will join forces with Afril Bernardino to lead Uratex Dream, while Trina Guytingco is ready to bounce back with Titans alongside newcomer Stef Berberabe.

The Ateneo alumna suffered an injury during the competition last year, with the remaining trio of Joson, Thai star Supavadee Kunchuan, and Japanese Lina Nakazawa going all the way to the final.

Janine Pontejos will take charge for Army Altama, with the New Zealand Blue Fire and Uratex Tibay completing the local field.

Defending champions ZOOS Tokyo comprises the foreign contingent in the two-day tournament, which is also supported by TITAN as an official partner, alongside Wilson, Seiko, B’lue, Secret Fresh, BDO, Jollibee, TRYP by Wyndham, Jisulife, Rexona, and Laurin.

The champion will not only receive US $4,000, but also a chance to fly to Korea and participate in the WKBL 3x3 tournament.

Second place nets US $2,500, while the third placer secures US $1,000.

Final Rematch highlights Day 1 of Manila Hustle 3x3

Mikka Cacho, Monique del Carmen, Manila Hustle 3x3 tournament director Peachy Medina, Camille Clarin, and Tin Cayabyab.

Manila Hustle 3x3 is set to commence this weekend, starting off with Pool Play on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

One of the highlights of Day 1 sees last year's finalists grouped together in Pool C, as Gilas Pilipinas Women and Army Altama square off at 330pm to kickstart their respective stints.

As the Lady Macbeth Riots, they claimed the inaugural title behind the shoulders of eventual Most Valuable Player Kacey dela Rosa, 21-11.

This time around, Gilas Women will be fielding a brand new quartet, but chemistry will not be a problem with an all-National University crew of Mikka Cacho, Camille Clarin, Monique del Carmen, and Tin Cayabyab, as they build up a potential pool for future competitions.

Clarin shared during the pre-tournament press conference, "We're looking to build a good foundation based on players coming into the program and preparing for long-term tournaments."

Army still has Camille Sambile and Mar Prado backstopping their quartet, with Zoos Tokyo and Thai side Shoot It Dragons completing Pool C.

The lone returning player from the Riots has moved to another team, as Trina Guytingco leads Titans in Pool D. The Ateneo alumna is joined by fellow Blue Eagle Jhazmin Joson and a couple of foreign recruits in Supavadee "Bo" Kunchuan and Lina Nakazawa. Alongside them is the Kaye Pingol-led Uratex Dream, which has tapped Renzhu Li of China to help boost their campaign, last year's semifinalists Dinoman Hansol of Korea, and newcomers Royals Basketball from Australia.

Discovery Perlas banners Pool B, with a couple of former UAAP MVPs in Allana Lim and Grace Irebu serving as anchors. They are grouped alongside three debuting teams in Unicle from Korea, Owls.EXE from Japan, and Shiv Nadar School from India.

Kickstarting the action at 1030am is a couple of Pool A teams, with Tokyo Dime going up against Bluefire, which features La Salle women's basketball alumnae in Snow Penaranda and Ameng Torres. The other teams in Pool A are Jumpshot from Singapore and the second Uratex entrant in Tibay, which has enlisted Gilas Women standout Afril Bernardino and Spanish baller Ari Geli, who played for Zoos last year.

Opening Ceremonies for the two-day competition will take place at 10am, with all pool play matches slated at the venue on Saturday and the knockout rounds on Sunday.

The top team in each pool will advance straight to the quarterfinals, with the teams in second and third place will have to go through a last sixteen crossover knockout playoff to complete the field.

The champion gets $3,000 with the losing finalist snapping up $2,000 and the third place team $1,000.

Serving as partners for the Manila Hustle 3x3 presented by Uratex and SMART are the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (technical), SMART Sports and Puso Pilipinas (media), Seiko Prospex (timekeeper), and B'lue (hydration), with Titan, Wilson, Green Cross, Secret Fresh, BDO, Laurin CocoMCT, Peloton Workforce, Senka, Pinesbel Manufacturing, Tsubaki, IFern, Evercool Radiator, Home Suite Furniture, and Quality Corrugated Box Manufacturing, and Aquaflask as sponsors.

Fans will be able to watch the proceedings through the SMART Livestream app, as well as on the Facebook pages of Puso Pilipinas.

Bigger Manila Hustle 3x3 assured in return

Peachy Medina, Erika Dy, and Jude Turcuato with reps from the teams present at the press conference

The second edition of Manila Hustle 3x3 is bigger and better, team organizers promise during the press conference for the competition held at the Mall of Asia branch of Microtel by Wyndham.

Tournament director Peachy Medina shares, "We want everybody to be aware of how women's basketball has developed. We like everyone to see how it has progressed."

The first edition saw twelve teams participate at Robinsons' Magnolia facility last year, with the Lady Macbeth Riots claiming the title over Army Altama in the final.

Slated to take place this Saturday and Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, sixteen teams comprise the field, led a Gilas Women side seeking to build a core for the coming year in 3x3 basketball.

Present in the presser are a couple of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas officials in Executive Director Erika Dy and 3x3 program director Eric Altamirano. The NSA serves as the tournament's official technical partner.

Altamirano shares about the team's participation, "We wanted to use this tournament to evaluate the players in the pool and this gives us a chance to identify who can play in FIBA Asia Cup 3x3."

Dy, a noted advocate for women's basketball. adds about the tournament, "It's really when stakeholders come up with tournaments like this that contributes to the industry and that really elevates the game."

Aside from the SBP, serving as additional partners to the tournament presented by Uratex and SMART are Seiko Prospex as the official timekeeper, and B'lue for official hydration. Acting as sponsors are Titan, Wilson, Green Cross, Secret Fresh, BDO, Laurin CocoMCT, Peloton Workforce, Senka, Pinesbel Manufacturing, Tsubaki, IFern, Evercool Radiator, Home Suite Furniture, and Quality Corrugated Box Manufacturing, and Aquaflask.

Leading the local cast are losing finalists Army Altama, and Uratex, who has two teams in the field with the Kaye Pingol-led Dream and Afril Bernardino-led Tibay.

Nine teams from across the continent have confirmed participation, including Dinoman Hansol, who made it the semifinals. Japanese .EXE teams Tokyo Dime and Owls, as well as Zoos Tokyo are also seeking to spoil the local party as well.

Set to make their debuts are Unicle (Korea), Royals Basketball (Australia) and Shiv Nadar School (India), while representing ASEAN pride are Shoot It Dragons (Thailand) and Jumpshot (Singapore).

Fans interested to watch can do so through the SMART Livestream app, as well as through the Puso Pilipinas page on Facebook, with the latter and SMART Sports being Manila Hustle's media partners. Those watching at the venue can also partake of the fan zone set to be in place for the two-day tournament.

Manila Hustle set for second season

Back for a second try

Manila Hustle is back for a second season, as the purely women's 3x3 competition is set to take place next month.

Teams from all over the Asia-Pacific region are set to flock over to the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall this coming February 3-4, with $3,000 cash prize awaiting the champion of this invitational presented by Uratex and SMART.

Uratex once again will field two teams (Dream and Tibay) in the competition, while Gilas Pilipinas Women highlights the local field. The team helmed by Patrick Aquino is expected to have the core of inaugural champions Macbeth on its call.

The Lady Riots defeated Army Altama in the final, 21-11, behind the efforts of eventual Most Valuable Player Kacey dela Rosa.

Aside from these four teams, comprising the local contingent are Titans, Discovery Perlas, and Bluefire LPG.

Providing some international flavor are returnees Dinoman Hansol of Korea, Owls.EXE and Zoos Tokyo of Japan, Shoot It Dragons of Thailand, and Jumpshot of Singapore.

Completing the sixteen-team field are Tokyo Dime of Japan, Unicle of Korea, Royals Basketball of Australia, and Shiv Nadar School of India.

Serving as Manila Hustle 3x3 sponsors are Titan, Wilson, Green Cross, Secret Fresh, Aquaflask, Laurin CocoMCT, Peloton Workforce, Senka, Pinesbel Manufacturing, Tsubaki, IFern, Evercool Radiator, Home Suite Furniture, and Quality Corrugated Box Manufacturing. The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas acts as its official technical partner, with Seiko as the official timekeeper and B'lue as the official hydration partner.