GILAS Pilipinas 3x3 going winless in the Fiba 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament is a huge learning experience as the country looks to make it to the world stage soon.
"We will return to Manila with the thought that in time, we will be able to match up and compete with the best countries in the world," said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) program director for 3x3 Ronnie Magsanoc.
Joshua Munzon, CJ Perez, Mo Tautuaa and Santi Santillan went winless in Pool C and lost all four of their games in Graz, Austria.
The Filipinos suffered a tough 21-12 loss to Qatar and a 21-11 defeat to world no. 3 Slovenia on Wednesday before playing undermaned sans Tautuaa on Friday and tasting a 22-11 humiliation at the hands of Dominican Republic before a tight 15-14 decision against France.
It was the first time that the Philippine men's 3x3 team has been shut out in an international competition.
Magsanoc, though, believes that the Filipinos are only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to 3x3 basketball.
"Time and preparation are key elements. Consistent international exposure will definitely add toughness and readiness for our Gilas 3x3 national players once we participate in the top level Fiba 3x3 competitions in the coming year," he said.
Magsanoc also believes the formation of the PBA 3x3 league will be a boost as the SBP eyes to build a pool from that crop of players.
"The PBA 3x3 will also be a big, long-term help in creating an avenue for year round competition for our 3x3 specialists," he said.
The soft-spoken mentor is optimistic on what the future holds, especially with the Philippines raring to defend its throne in the 2021 Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam and compete in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
"Those are the next two international tournaments that we are hoping to play in as we continue to build and solidify the SBP’s national program for 3x3 basketball," said Magsanoc.
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