CHOOKS-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 league owner Ronald Mascarinas reiterated the availability of its players should the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) consider them for the upcoming international 3x3 competitions.
"We are publicly offering the field for SBP. All the players who played in our Chooks-to-Go league are available," he said on Friday during the send-off for the Filipino teams competing in the Doha Masters of the 2019 Fiba 3x3 World Tour at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Pasig.
"Even if there's an ongoing tournament, if the country needs our players, we will release them for the country."
Pasig Chooks' Joshua Munzon, Taylor Statham, and Troy Rike ranked as the top three 3x3 players of the country following the successful staging of the inaugural Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup.
Aside from the Pasig Grindhouse Kings trio, the Philippines' top 21 players, and 24 of the top 27, all saw action in the first-of-its-kind professional 3x3 tournament in the country.
1Bataan Risers' Alvin Pasaol and Santi Santillan complete the top five, while making it to the top 10 are Jaypee Belencion and Arvin Tolentino of Pasay, Sean Manganti and Anton Asistio of Bataan, and Karl Dehesa of Vigan.
Also, the Philippines has slowly shot up the Fiba 3x3 world rankings, going from 49th before the start of the tournament to now at 32nd after the Chooks-to-Go 3x3 Asia Pacific Super Quest last weekend, where Bataan finished runner-up and Pasig Grindhouse made it to the semifinals.
Mascarinas feels that these players, who have devoted the past months familiarizing themselves to playing 3x3 basketball and understanding its unique rules and quirks, deserves at least an invite to represent the country in the Southeast Asian Games and the succeeding international 3x3 tournaments.
"It's their responsibility to our country that any team playing for our country must be the best. It's up to them now," he said.