MANILA – In an effort to expand the Asia Tour 3x3, CEO Connor Nguyen said plans are in the works for a Philippine return, as well as three more city stops across Southeast Asia and beyond.

“FIBA has its own world tour. What we’re looking to do is to make 3x3 basketball more accessible to the countries and teams in Southeast Asia and Asia, and hopefully from there, we can connect to the FIBA world tour,” Nguyen said after the event’s successful inaugural staging at Mall of Asia earlier this month.

The Manila stop of the Level 5 FIBA Lite Quest event saw 20 teams from five different countries, with Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam all using the platform to prepare for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia next month.

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TNT Triple Giga held their own and triumphed in the men’s tournament, while VN Red and Gold captured the women’s crown.

Nguyen credited tournament director Eric Altamirano for leading and organizing the Manila stop of the event.

“The event was very well organized. We did it to kind of a basic level but we wanted to prove the concept in the first year. Thankfully, we got things together,” Nguyen shared.

“It was a little bit late, we didn’t have too much time, but I think Coach Eric did a great job. We look forward to making it bigger and better the following year.”

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Altamirano is no stranger to collaborations within the Southeast Asian basketball ecosystem.

Earlier this year, the former UAAP champion coach was tapped to become the technical director for the playoffs and finals of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) Invitational 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Curiously, Nguyen also serves as the co-founder and general manager of ABL side Saigon Heat.

“Coach Eric and his team are amazing. Definitely, none of these would happen without Coach Eric,” Nguyen added.

The Asia Tour 3x3 will reportedly pick Nguyen’s birthplace of Ho Chi Minh City, which has been the de facto capital of the Vietnam Basketball Association’s 3x3 major events, for under-16 and under-19 tournaments in July.

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Aside from another leg in Manila slated in October, the event is considering two more neighboring cities yet to be finalized. Mongolia, a 3x3 hotbed, is among the countries being eyed.

“I think that’s the plan. We will look to have it back in Manila, and then have three stops in three different cities. It’s very successful in Manila so we’re looking forward to bringing it back here,” Nguyen said.

Mongolia leads the FIBA 3x3 combined federation rankings in Asia with 1,598,549 points, mainly due to its ability to host events. The nation is followed by Japan, China, Thailand, Qatar, and the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the Philippines ranks 19th in the men’s federation rankings, putting it in a prime position to make the cutoff for the Paris 2024 Olympic qualifiers.

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