MANILA – TNT Triple Giga came a few possessions short of punching a ticket to the FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2023 Macau Masters, which would have put them in the same territory as Chooks, the country’s de facto 3x3 club.

Bannered by Almond Vosotros, Ping Exciminiano, Gryann Mendoza, and import Ulrich Odou, TNT only ran out of time in a slim 18-20 loss to Chinese powerhouse Futian last weekend in the FIBA 3x3 Penang Challenger in Malaysia, the Level 9 qualifier for the Level 10 Masters event.

Though they fell short, their performance is seen as a step in the right direction, as the Philippines needs more teams in the FIBA 3x3 professional circuit to boost its hopes of making the sport’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Paris 2024.

• Why 3x3 thrives inside malls in basketball-crazy Philippines

“Ayun ‘yung kailangan natin. If you see the rosters and teams in the pro circuit, tatlo, apat ‘yung galing sa Serbia, dalawa galing sa Belgium, ang daming team from Mongolia, Japan, so why not?” TNT Triple Giga head coach Mau Belen said on Tuesday night shortly after arriving in Manila from Kuala Lumpur.

“Hindi imposible na maraming team na makapasok from the Philippines, ‘diba? The more we are there [in the Masters], the more chances there are to move up in the rankings. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung goal. That’s our main goal.”

The Philippines currently ranks 25th in the men’s federation rankings with 847,522 points, and will need to climb up to the top 20 to assure itself of an Olympic Qualifying Tournament slot.

“Kaya namin ‘to ginagawa, it’s not just for ourselves, it’s for experience, for our players, our ballclub, but at the same time, we have a deadline by November to collect all the points for the Olympic Qualifiers,” Belen added, mentioning the cutoff date for the rankings later this year.

TNT’s inspiring run in Malaysia saw them stun the United States’ NY Harlem in the quarterfinals, 21-18. It previously lost to eventual champion Beijing by just two as well, 19-21 in the group stage.

“It’s very humbling. We went there, and we didn’t know what to expect. Just to try and see kung okay kami as a team. We over-exceeded our expectations sa sarili namin, and for that, I am so proud,” Belen said.

“If people just waited for the results, they might think, ‘yun talaga ‘yung results na dapat sa kanila, but if you watch the game, it’s a different feeling. All the messages we received from people were very touching, nakakataba ng loob. Going into Day 2, we tried our best talaga to compete and finish the task.”

Vosotros was undoubtedly the hero for TNT throughout the two-day tilt, scoring a total of 38 points, just one shy of tying tournament top scorer Karlis Lasmanis – the world’s fourth-ranked 3x3 player.

• Vosotros credits TNT teammates after winning Red Bull 3-on-3 National Finals
• FIBA 3x3: Improving Chooks needs to stay intact to build chemistry, Tallo says

“‘Yung experience, sobrang ganda. Sobrang makakatulong sa Pilipinas, especially sa team namin na nakakuha kami ng ganoong experience, playing against the best teams and the best players in the world,” Vosotros said.

Due to his exploits, the 5-foot-11 guard earned 56,730 ranking points overnight and leapfrogged to second overall in the Philippine men’s rankings, just behind Chooks’ Mac Tallo.

But more than the individual accomplishments, Vosotros said helping the country reach its immediate goals in the 3x3 scene is more important.

“Every time we play sa national team, or we represent our country, talagang iniisip namin ‘yung Philippines na umabot tayo hanggang Olympics. ‘Yung World Cup, first, mag-qualify sa World Cup, and then mag-qualify sa Olympics. I think ‘yun yung mas importante,” he said.

Whether it’s Chooks or TNT participating in a Challenger or a Masters, more Filipino teams in top-level 3x3 team competitions will benefit the country's Olympic hopes. Belen knows this, and her group is just happy to contribute.

“That’s fantastic [to have multiple Philippine teams compete]. Nine years ago, mayroon pang Manila North, Manila South, they were competing heavily in the 3x3 scene,” she said.

“I hope with the effort we’re doing, we could move up the ladder and see kung magku-qualify kami for the Olympic Qualifiers.”

• Asia Tour 3x3 MVP Exciminiano thankful for 2nd chance at TNT
• Asia Tour 3x3 set for youth events in Vietnam

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more News on iWantTFC