THE staging of the second leg of the WNBL 3x3 has raised the Fiba rankings of the Philippines from No. 63 to No. 49.
The Philippines has also moved to 14th in Asia following the tournament that saw Uratex Dream capturing its second consecutive crown after beating Angelis Resort, 20-16.
The country now has 29,640 ranking points from 24,263 at the close of Leg One last December.
WNBL executive vice president Rhose Montreal credited the efforts of 3x3 commissioner Haydee Ong and executive committee chairman Kat Quimpo in making sure that Leg Two was a success.
Based on the rules of Fiba, rankings are earned not just by the performance of the national team but also in the regularity of staging 3x3 tournaments in their respective country.
Uratex Dream tops the WNBL 3x3
Alyssa Villamor is now ranked second in the Philippines in 3x3 with 1,908 followed by Uratex Dream teammates Kaye Pingol (1,879), Angel Anies (1,875), and Tina Deacon (1,872).
The Philippines also rose in the Fiba 3x3 rankings in the Under-23 women’s category from 100 to 89.
Jenina Solis is the top U-23 player in the country with 791 followed by Angelis Resort teammates Blanche Bahuyan (781) and Bea Pesito (737).
Montreal said the goal is to help the Philippines break into the top 10 in the world rankings to be able to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics through the staging of regular 3x3 tournaments.
“We encourage support from everyone from the federation to the sponsors to make this goal happen,” said Montreal.
The WNBL 3x3 will hold four more legs, and a grand final to determine the champion for the 2021-2022 season.
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