Serbia bringing in 3X3 big guns in ‘three-peat’ bid

Defending champion Serbia is bringing in the big guns again as it shoots for a third straight crown in the Fiba 3×3 World Cup kicking off Friday at Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

The Serbs will be represented by the Top 4 3×3 players in the world as they try to win a fourth title in five years overall.

World No. 1 Dejan Majstorovic and No. 2 Marko Savic will banner the team also composed of third ranked Dusan Bulut and No. 4 Stefan Stojajic, who replaced the injured Marko Zdero in the squad.

With Majstorovic leading the way and Bulut hitting the title clinching shot, Serbia nipped The Netherlands, 21-18, in the finals last year in Nantes, France.

Like Bulut, Savic has played in all the past four editions of the tournament, which Serbia also ruled in 2012 in Athens, Greece, and 2016 in Guangzhou, China. Qatar was the only other country that won the tournament, beating Serbia in the finals in Moscow four years ago.

The Serbs won’t see action until Saturday when they clash with the Dutch at 2 p.m., before colliding with New Zealand at 3:30 p.m.

Aiming to improve on an 11th place finish last year, host Philippines, which will be represented by Stanley Pringle, Christian Standhardinger, Troy Rosario and Roger Pogoy, landed in Pool C with No. 3 Russia, No. 6 Brazil and No. 11 Mongolia.

Another powerhouse in Canada completes Pool C.