START the year with a bang.
That’s the mindset of the Manila Chooks! 3×3 squad that will try to prove its worth in the FIBA 3X3 Pro League Netherlands 2023 Winter Edition Stop 1 from March 9 to 20 in Amsterdam.
The team, bannered by the country’s No. 1 3×3 player Mac Tallo, No. 2 Brandon Ramirez, and No. 3 Dennis Santos, arrived in Amsterdam yesterday.
The team also tapped former University of the East standout CJ Payawal and former National University forward Matt Salem as new additions.
Manila Chooks! is bracketed in Pool D and will clash with Amstelveen of Netherlands at 2:55 a.m. (Manila time) today before taking on world No. 15 Utrecht at 4:35 a.m.
Chooks-to-Go President and team owner Ronald Mascariñas stood firm in his vision of sending a Philippine squad to the Paris Olympics next year, which explains why head trainer Chico Lanete and his charges are working doubly hard.
“I am excited about what this team can achieve, especially with our new reinforcements.
The more games they play, the better they become as a team,” Mascariñas said.
“We will always be here to support them and keep our dream of seeing a Philippine 3×3 team in the 2024 Paris Olympics alive. The team has been preparing hard for their first FIBA 3×3 tournament of the year,” added the amiable godfather of Philippine 3×3.
Other teams in the meet include world No. 5 Amsterdam of the Netherlands, world No. 20 Warsaw of Poland, and world No. 21 Dí¼sseldorf of Germany.
The tilt has three stops before the grand finals, with the winner of each stop taking home $15,000 and a ticket to the Manila Masters, while the second and third placers will bag $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.
