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    Troy Rike warns P1M top prize not a given for favorite Zambo City

    A two-time 3x3 champ, Rike says Zamboanga won't have things easy in Grand Finals
    Oct 28, 2020
    PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

    CALAMBA — Troy Rike sure knows winning when it comes to 3x3.

    The Fil-Am banger is in a league of his own, being the lone player to win two championships last season with Grindhouse Pasig in the President's Cup and with Basilan CTC Construction in the Patriots' Cup.

    That gives him and Family's Brand Sardines Zamboanga City a psychological edge heading into the Grand Finals of the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup presented by TM on Friday.

    "Maybe once is okay, but winning it twice? It's definitely an advantage being a two-time champion," he said.

    But it also comes with its own caveat, a reality that Zamboanga City has dealt all conference long as it is without question the team to beat - and therefore with a giant target on its back.

    The last time it happened was in Leg 3, when Pasig-Sta. Lucia Realtors shocked Zamboanga City and effectively eliminated the latter at the quarterfinal stage.

    It was the first time this season that the team, which is a collection of four of the top six-ranked 3x3 players in the country, failed to make it to the Final Four.

    And believe it or not, it led to a deep self-reflection for the team, especially Rike.

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    "I can't remember a time that we got knocked down in the quarterfinals. It might have been the first time," said the 6-foot-7 big man.

    "When we lost that game, I felt like the world was crashing down, like, 'Oh my God, this is terrible. Everything is so terrible.'"

    It only motivated Rike and the rest of Zamboanga to come back stronger and down Uling Roasters-Butuan City to take home the Leg 4 crown.

    "I just had to remind myself that if we win this, we will win four out of five (including the preseason), and we'll lock up the No. 1 seed in the Finals," he said. "I just kept telling myself that as long as we take care of business, we're where we need to be even though we got a slight roadblock along the way."

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      Still, Rike knows that as much as his side has an advantage against the field, it won't be that easy for Zamboanga City to take home the P1 million cash prize in the Grand Finals.

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      "Everyone here has big game experience. I think it will help us a little bit, but if you're in this bubble, at least at some level, have been big time players who can make big shots. I think everyone's gonna be ready," he said.

      "We're going for the championship. We have all the talent, all the tools, all the experience to do it. It's not gonna be easy. Other teams are gonna go for it too, but for us, were gunning for that championship. I think if we control what we can control, we'd at least give ourselves a good shot."

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      PHOTO: Jerome Ascano
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