The Chooks-Pilipinas 3×3 squad. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/ Joaqui Flores
Armed with sheer talent, Chooks-Pilipinas 3×3 is ready to conquer the 2017 Fiba 3×3 World Cup in Nantes, France.
The team, made up of future stars Kiefer Ravena, Jeron Teng and Kobe Paras along with NLEX big man JR Quiñahan headed by coach Eric Altamirano, is set to fly out early Friday morning for the five-day long tournament.
“It’s a young team, but there’s a lot of potential,” said Altamirano. “I was very excited actually being able to complete the team, to bring in Kiefer (Ravena), bring in Jeron (Teng), and bring in Kobe (Paras), who I think will be the future of Philippine basketball.”
The team is set to tussle against heavyweights France and Slovenia, as well as El Salvador and Romania in Group B of the competitions from June 17 to 21.
Though regarded as standouts in the five-on-five game, the biggest hurdle for the players is adjusting to the rules of the 3×3 game, something Altamirano shared will be the first task to handle for his crew.
“Number one, it’s half-court. Number two, the ball is smaller to those they’re used to playing with. So there’s definitely going to be an adjustment,” he said.
“It’s a very short game, but it’s fast. It’s a 10-minute game, race to 21, whichever comes first – 10 minutes or 21. There’s a strategy there. So you can’t just play. You have to analyze the game and understand the game to know what you’re gonna do.”
But Paras allayed any fears, saying that in the end, it’s still basketball.
“There are differences with the rules and the ball, but it’s not that hard. When I was a kid, I’ve been playing three-on-three, but we didn’t have all the rules. It’s still the same thing, though,” he said.