CHAMPION coach Mau Belen finally gets a crack calling the shots for Gilas Pilipinas in its coming campaign in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in Singapore this weekend.
Owner of six championships in the PBA 3x3 including the first ever grand slam in the 2022-23 season, Belen will have the core of the TNT Triple Giga team at her disposal for the March 27-31 continental showpiece.
On board for the No. 6 seeded Gilas Pilipinas team are Gryann Mendoza, Chester Saldua, and Ping Exciminiano.
Vosotros out due to injury
Unfortunately, Belen won’t have the benefit of having top gunner Almond Vosotros around owing to an injury, his place filled by Meralco’s Joseph Sedurifa, a major player in the Gilas 3x3 team that won the silver medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
But she has complete trust in the team, which Belen hopes would be able to improve on the finish of Gilas from last season where it failed to advance past the preliminary stage of the tournament after losing to Iran and Qatar.
“Asia Cup is like the Olympics of Asia, so we are gearing up for the toughest battle. We prepared the best way we know how, and hoping that would be enough to compete in the highest level possible,” said the Gilas 3x3 coach.
The team leaves for Singapore on Thursday, the final day of the qualifying draw.
Phl, Japan in same group
Gilas is already a cinch in the main draw and bracketed with Japan in Pool C along with the top team of the qualifier from the same pool.
Others which are also seeded in the preliminaries are China and Singapore (Pool A), defending champion Mongolia and Thailand (Pool B), and New Zealand and Qatar (Pool D). They will also be joined by the best team in their respective pool from the qualifiers.
Only the top two teams in each pool will advance to the knockout stage.
“We’re aiming to finish better than we did last year. And if kaya, target the podium once we crack a seat in the quarterfinals,” said the champion coach, one of the awardees in the recent 1st Women in Sports Awards Night at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
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