San Beda-A wins inaugural i3i title

Photo from i3i

San Beda-A scorched from the beyond the arc to sweep San Beda-C and win the first-ever Intercollegiate 3×3 Invitationals championship before a huge crowd Sunday at the Mall of Asia Music Hall.

Banking on the hot shooting of Davon Potts and Robert Bolick, the Red Lions A-squad, which also includes Dan Sara and Donald Tankoua, won Game 1, 11-9, and dominated Game 2, 22-8, of the best-of-three finals series. 

Potts, Bolick, Sara and Tankoua took home the P200,000 top prize while the San Beda-C quartet of Arnaud Noah, William Navarro, Joe Presbitero and Jeramer Cabanag bagged the second place trophy and P100,000.

“We’re very happy because we’re champions. All our teams have been very competitive,” said Sara. “The NCAA is also near and this is a good experience for us. This is the start of our maturity.”

Before setting up an all-Lions finals duel, San Beda-A fended off a tough University of the East-A side while San Beda-C banked on a game-winning layup from Noah to prevail over UAAP champion Far Eastern University-A. 

Potts and Noah were named to the i3i’s inaugural Mythical Team, along with  guard Joe Trinidad of the Tamaraws and Red Warrior Arnold Pasaol. 

In the battle for third, UE-A dismantled a weary FEU-A squad, 21-14, behind Pasaol, Clark Derige, Paul Varilla and shifty guard Bonbon Batiller in the event organized by Kiefer Ravena’s Rack Sports Management and endorsed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

Also making it to the Elite Eight are UE-B, UE-C, Emilio Aguinaldo College, and National University-B.

A total of 32 teams from UAAP and NCAA schools participated in the tournament supported by Akari, Meralco, SM Mall of Asia, MyPhone, Toby’s, Titan, The Frazzled Cook, Gatorade, Milo, Ambucare and Teravibe. 

“This is the first step in our goal of getting more Filipinos involved in 3×3,” said Ravena, who added that Rack Sports is planning to do collegiate 3×3 tournaments in Bacolod, Cebu, Iloilo and Laguna in the next few months.