FROM his college days to the PBA, CJ Perez has always been looked at as one of the top dogs.
But in the 3x3 field, the San Miguel slasher knows he's still a novice and he will have to double time to be able to adapt to the elite level of competition that will come in the Fiba 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
"Yun yung challenge sa amin, kung paano makakasabay sa kanila," he said.
Lucky for Perez and Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 peer Mo Tautuaa, they're working with top-ranked Filipino 3x3 players Joshua Munzon and Alvin Pasaol, as well as pool members Santi Santillan and Karl Dehesa, all of whom veterans in the international game.
"Kailangan ko pa matutunan yung larong 3x3 lalo na nandun sila Josh [Munzon]. Sila yung beterano sa 3x3 at halos lahat ng nakalaban namin, nakalaban na nila. Kabisado na nila paano laruin ang 3x3 at labanan dun sa pro circuit," he said.
Perez's only exposure to the halfcourt game came in the 30th Southeast Asian Games where he, Tautuaa, Chris Newsome, and Jason Perkins won the gold medal in the men's 3x3 tourney.
However, the ongoing film sessions were an eye-opener for him knowing how much more brutal the wars are in the global level -- a far cry from the bully-ball style which easily trumped the neighboring countries in the region.
"Doon mo mararamdaman yung sobrang pisikal na 3x3. Yun yung nakikita namin sa mga scouting videos namin. Hindi ganun ka-fancy pero nakakagawa sila ng paraan. Mukhang matitigas talaga yung katawan ng kalaban," he noted.
Gilas 3x3 is bracing for a killer Pool C where it will face Slovenia, France, Dominican Republic, and Qatar come May 26 to 30 in Graz, Austria.
It's a tough mountain to climb, yet Perez vows to make the most of this golden chance, with the Philippines needing to finish in the top three to earn a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.
"Kailangan ko i-maximize yung mga ganitong opportunity sa buhay ko, lalo ito Olympics na ang usapan," he said. "Kahit ganito kaaga, nabibigay na sa akin yung ganitong opportunity kaya i-gragrab ko siya. Madaming player ang nangangarap na maglaro sa Gilas kaya sobrang grateful ako na binibigyan ako ng ganitong chance."
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