Olympic sports 3x3 basketball got an additional boost as a former champion partnered with corporate backers and sponsors to hold the Half Court 3x3 basketball tournament scheduled to start on September 7 at the Crystal Pavilion of five-star Okada Manila in Pasay City.
Mau Belen and Samboy De Leon, are members of the TNT Triple Giga that dominated the PBA 3x3 tournament. TNT won a total of six conference titles on top of the Season 2 grand slam while winning 19 leg titles before it was shelved indefinitely.
Without the PBA meet, Belen and De Leon were joined by other TNT members Chester Saldua and Matt Game in putting up the group to help uplift the sports as they believed that Filipinos are capable of playing the sports on the world stage.
“Malaki ang potensyal natinsa 3x3, hindi man sa ngayon, darating ang araw na mangingibabaw tayo sa Asya, sa World stage o sa Olympics,” said Belen, known in the community as Coach Mau.
There will be a men’s and women’s division comprised of 16 teams each.
“3x3 feels something special talaga,” said Belen during the launching of the meet at the Okada Hotel. “Kung kami man yung maliit na tutulong, kung kami man yung malaking tutulong. Kung anuman ang puwede naming gawin to elevate the sport to the next level because it really has a very good potential in terms of Filipino basketball talent.”
The tournament is open to players 18 years old and above. The elimination rounds are slated on Sept. 7-8 and Sept. 14-15.
The grand finals are set Sept. 21-22 featuring the top six teams in each division.
The finals will also serve as the FIBA 3x3 Lite Quest for the men’s division, part of a global competition structure that serves as the gateway to international tournaments such as the World Tour Masters.
The men’s champion will represent the country in the Pocheon Challenger 2024 in South Korea. The winner on the women's side will take home a P20,000 cash prize since the FIBA Women’s Series 2024 is now in its final stage.
The first and second runners-up will receive P10,000 and P5,000, respectively.
A 3x3 training camp for players 7 to 18 years old will be held simultaneously.
“We’re calling all basketball enthusiasts to join us in the camp where you can learn the fundamentals of basketball such as dribbling, passing, shooting, and strategic gameplay,” said Mau in the press launch last week which was also attended by Gizelle Leong, and Franz Manolo of host Okada, Jon Semana of automotive firm Jeep and Jason Esguerra of SIP hydration.
Aside from coach Mau, the camp will be run by De Leon, Saldua, Salem, and TNT teammate Gryann Mendoza.
