Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 18) – The Aldin Ayo-coached Manila squad will banner two new faces as it competes in the FIBA 3X3 Lipik Challenger in Croatia from May 21-22.
Veteran cager Mark Yee is one of the newest additions to the team bannered by Chico Lanete, Mac Tallo, Dennis Santos, and Zach Huang.
“Mark Yee is a good addition since he stretches the floor and has been known to be a good defender in the post,” Ayo said.
The sixth member of the pool has yet to be named.
Manila has already booked its spot in the qualifying draw with Croatia’s Split, Puerto Rico’s San Juan, Germany’s Bielefeld TSVE and Dusseldorf LFDY, and the winner of a Quest tournament in Russia.
The groupings for the 2021 FIBA 3X3 Lipik Challenger will be announced in the coming days.
The 6-foot-3 Yee will bring his experience of winning titles in local leagues, most notably as a vital cog in the back-to-back championships of the Davao Occidental Tigers in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. He also won two rings with Talk N’ Text in the Philippine Basketball Association in 2011.
The Manila team has been training at the Lucena Convention Center in Quezon province since May 13. The short seven-day camp was approved by the Games and Amusements Board and the provincial government.
Formed last March, the Manila Chooks TM 3×3 squad first saw action in the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Doha Masters 2021, where they failed to qualify in the main draw.
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