GILAS Pilipinas 3x3 re-enters the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba on Friday for its final buildup for the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
SEA Games gold medalists CJ Perez and Mo Tautuaa, and top-ranked Filipino 3x3 players Joshua Munzon and Alvin Pasaol make their last preparations before flying to Graz, Austria in less than two weeks.
Reserves Santi Santillan and Karl Dehesa will also be joining them in the trip along with three more players to be added to the training pool.
University of the Philippines big man Maodo Malick Diouf and fellow practice players Tonino Gonzaga and Agosto Flor will also lend a hand in simulating the competition that awaits Team Philippines in the OQT.
"We are looking to simulate the opposition that the Gilas 3x3 National Team will face in the OQT," said Gilas 3x3 head coach Ronnie Magsanoc. "We also want to give our national players the chance to scrimmage with different combinations."
Diouf is a Senegalese center who transferred from Centro Escolar University to UP; Gonzaga is a former Ateneo Blue Eagle who suited up for Nueva Ecija in the local 3x3 pro circuit, and Flor is a PMMA product who was taken by San Miguel in the fifth round of the PBA Season 46 Rookie Draft.
The scrimmages will be huge for Gilas 3x3 as it faces an uphill climb in Pool C of the OQT.
Awaiting the Philippines in the competitions are Slovenia, France, Dominican Republic, and Qatar, with the country needing to finish in the top two of the group to advance to the knockout rounds and a top three finish to book a spot in the Tokyo Olympics.
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