VETERAN playmakers Chico Lanete and Rudy Lingganay are defying the old adage that you can't teach old dog new tricks.
Proving that they can still hold a candle against their younger peers, the savvy court generals are reinventing their games as they welcome the new challenge of playing in the 3x3 circuit.
"Naninibago pa ako kasi sobrang different siya sa 5-on-5," shared Lanete, who now plays for Uling Roasters-Butuan City. "Sa 5-on-5, pwede kang mag-relax eh, unlike sa 3x3 na di ka pwede mag-relax. Kailangan tuluy-tuloy ang galaw."
Lingganay, who is now with Zamboanga Peninsula Valientes MLV, echoed those sentiments and said, "Lagi kong nakikita yung Chooks-to-Go 3x3. Sabi ko, paano kaya na ma-experience ko naman? Iba naman ang 3x3 kasi lagi na lang 5-on-5, so gusto ko ma-experience din."
"Nag-a-adjust pa rin kami kasi ang hirap sa 3x3, tuluy-tuloy ang laro. Hindi siya tulad sa 5-on-5 kasi dito kailangan every game, aggressive ka."

Both Lanete and Lingganay are providing sage wisdom to their younger teammates as they both look to make an impact in the ongoing 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup presented by TM.
Yet the seasoned veterans acknowledge that it takes time to get used to this fast-paced game in the half court.
And they perfectly understand that as somehow, the old guards are regarded as rookies when it comes to 3x3.
"Na-understand naman nila kasi first time ko ma-experience yung 3x3 eh, so open naman sila sa akin," said Lanete, a 12-year PBA veteran who won three titles all with San Miguel.
The 41-year-old skipper from Lyceum has been absorbing the tricks of the trade from his Butuan peers Karl Dehesa, Chris de Chavez, Franky Johnson, and JR Alabanza to be more effective in his time on the court.
"Buti nakapag-adjust naman ako sa tulong ng teammates ko kasi mas experienced sila kaysa sa akin, pero naa-adapt ko naman yung system kaya okay na. Syempre pagdating sa basketball, may shine-share din ako sa kanila as a veteran. Bigayan lang kami ng teammates ko," he said.
It's pretty much the same case for Lingganay, who defers to Gino Jumao-as, Paulino Rebollos, RR de Leon, and Med Salim to better understand this new discipline.
"Ang hirap kasi sa 5-on-5, pag shoot mo, baba ka lang sa depensa. Dito sa 3x3, pag-shoot mo, baka open na ang kalaban sa two-points," said the six-year PBA veteran, who had stops in Powerade, GlobalPort, Kia, NLEX, and TNT.
At the end of the day, basketball is still basketball, and the winner will always be who scores the most points.
And both Lanete and Lingganay expect nothing less from their respective sides to compete whenever it's their turn to take the court.
"Sa tingin ko, nandoon na kami sa top," said Lanete, who just signed with the Sarangani Marlins in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).
"Gamay na ng teammates ko at di naman nila ako pinapabayaan, na yung mga knowledge nila sa 3x3, shine-share nila sa akin. Basketball pa rin yun eh, so nandoon pa rin yung knowledge ko sa basketball," he said. "So sa amin, ibibigay lang namin lahat."
Lingganay, who is with Makati Super Crunch, also feels the same way.
"Masarap din yung 3x3, pero bugbugan talaga ang laro kasi lahat gustong manalo," he said. "Sa amin, kailangan pa namin ng resistensya dahil yun ang kulang namin eh. Patagal nang patagal, nakukuha naman namin."
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