CHRIS De Chavez beefs up Balanga Chooks squad as it joins Pasig Chooks in the 2019 Fiba 3x3 World Tour Tinkoff Moscow Challenger this weekend.
The sweet-shooting forward, who previously suited up for Carga Valenzuela Classic, teams up with Alvin Pasaol, Karl Dehesa and Travis Franklin for the Russia tournament from June 7 to 8, which serves as a qualifier for the Prague Masters.
"It's definitely an honor. Truly one of the biggest blessings in my basketball career. It's my first time representing the Philippines and I'm really excited about it," said de Chavez.
Balanga Chooks will need to top Pool A of Round 1, where it will face hosts Moscow Inanomo of Russia and Odessa Basket of Ukraine.
Pasaol is eager to again take on Moscow Inanomo, which they beat in the Doha Masters in April.
"Tatalunin namin sila ulit," he boldly guaranteed. "Masaya ulit na makalaban namin sila so tingin ko mas kaya namin sila ngayon."
Waiting in Pool C of Round 2 are Gagarin of Russia and Gdansk Energa 3x3 of Poland.
Pasig Chooks, meanwhile, will have Serbian reinforcement Nikola Pavlovic back in the fold as he joins with Joshua Munzon, Taylor Statham and Dylan Ababou.
The President's Cup champions are looking to rebound from their forgettable run in the Kunshan Challenger last month.
"For our team, we're definitely motivated for that. Our expectation is to go out there and represent the country as best as we could. We'll stick to our gameplan and stay together, have each other's backs out there," said Munzon.
Pasig Chooks plays in Pool B in Round 2, where it will take on world No. 3 Riga Ghetto of Latvia and Antwerp of Belgium.
Both Pasig Chooks and Balanga Chooks are aiming to boost the country's drive to the top 24 of the world rankings in hopes of earning a ticket to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament before the November 1 cutoff.
"We need to start winning because we're running out of time," said Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 league owner Ronald Mascarinas.
The Philippines currently sits at 33rd in the world rankings for the men's division.
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