Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 20) – The Philippine national 3×3 team composed of professional basketball players will start their bubble training next week for the FIBA 3×3 Olympic qualifiers in May.
PBA vice chairman Bobby Rosales confirmed the development on Tuesday as the four players begin training camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.
The Philippine team members who will compete in the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Graz, Austria from May 26 to 30 are Terrafirma’s Joshua Munzon, Meralco’s Alvin Pasaol, and San Miguel Beermen’s CJ Perez and Moala Tautuaa.
Munzon and Pasaol are currently the first and second ranked 3×3 players in the country, who competed in different international tournaments before applying for this year’s PBA Draft.
Perez and Tautuaa, meanwhile, were part of the team who took home the 3×3 gold in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Rosales said they secured the approval of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas for the national 3×3 team’s training bubble.
The PBA vice chairman said the players will be released to their mother ball clubs once scrimmages are allowed to resume. They are currently not permitted due to the imposition of the modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and nearby provinces including Laguna.
“If the IATF allows scrimmages, they will transfer the venue of the training to the NCR. So they will get out of Calamba,” said Rosales during a press conference on Tuesday.
The Philippines is grouped with Slovenia, France, Qatar, and the Dominican Republic in Pool C of the Olympic qualifiers. Only three teams will advance to the Tokyo Olympics.
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