ALMOND Vosotros and Jorey Napoles team up for the first time to lead the Philippine charge in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup set in Singapore this week.
Vosotros’ TNT teammate Samboy De Leon and big man Brandon Bates complete the four-man Filipino squad to be coached by Lester Del Rosario.
The team is leaving for Singapore on Thursday.
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Vosotros, the undisputed scoring champion of the PBA 3x3, and Napoles had a rivalry going dating back to the TNT versus Limitless App days, which continued even after Napoles transferred to Cavitex,
Now they’re together under one team with one common goal – equal or surpass the surprising fourth place finish the country achieved in the fifth edition of the meet last year.
Vosotros led that previous Philippine team along with De Leon, Lervin Flores, and Joseph Eriobu, and created a stir when it eliminated top seed Mongolia in the quarterfinals behind the game-winning deuce by Vosotros.
The Fillipinos however, fell to New Zealand in the semifinals, before losing to China in the battle for third.
This time, the country is bracketed in Pool D along with Qatar and the top qualifier in Draw D, which is consisted of Malaysia, Iran, Hong Kong, and Brunei.
The Filipinos, seeded fourth, will first take the D1 qualifier on March 31 followed by the game against Qatar.
The top two teams to emerge in their respective groups will advance to the knockout quarterfinals.
Pool A is led by top seed Mongolia and the host country along with the top qualifier in Draw A.
Pool B meanwhile, consists of Japan, Australia, and the Draw B top qualifier.
Pool C on the other hand, is bannered by China, India, and the Draw C no.1 team.
The winner of the three-day meet will earn a spot in the 3x3 qualifiers to the Paris Olympics.
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