Cebu Chooks ends up sixth in Fiba 3×3 Dubai Expo Super Quest
Cebu Chooks’ Mac Tallo, Zach Huang, Brandon Ramirez, and Mike Nzeusseu. CHOOKS PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–Cebu Chooks wound up sixth in the 2022 Fiba 3×3 Dubai Expo Super Quest, going 1-2 in the competition held at Expo Sports Arena in Dubai.
The team bannered by Mac Tallo, Zach Huang, Brandon Ramirez, and Mike Nzeusseu bowed out of the tournament after losing to world No. 2 no. 2 Antwerp of Belgium in group B of the level eight Fiba 3×3 tournament.
“We still have a lot to work on,” said Cebu Chooks head trainer Aldin Ayo. “We had a lot of lapses in our interior defense, especially during our game against Belgium (Antwerp). Hopefully, we can fix this by the time we host the Manila Super Quest next month.”
The Filipinos’ lone win came against USA’s Chicago, led by USA’s no. 3 player Craig Moore and no. 4 Zahir Carrington, 21-15 (8:14).
Cebu Chooks also bowed to Riga of Latvia 21-17 (9:07.5) in its opening match.
Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascariñas said they are looking to boost their 3×3 rosters with players who can match up with the Europeans, who dominate the game.
“Our team gave a good accord of themselves, especially against Riga — a team that has been together for almost a decade,” said Mascariñas. “We plan on adding more wide-bodied versatile players not just to this team but also our second team to match the physicality of the Europeans.”
Antwerp ruled the tournament while Poland’s Warsaw finished second. Riga and Serbia’s Liman finished in third and fourth place, respectively. Puerto Rico’s San Juan placed fifth.
Switzerland’s Lausanne (A, 0-3) and Chicago (B, 0-3) finished behind Cebu Chooks at seventh and eighth spots, respectively. Celest Flores-Colina
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