SBP, Chooks await FIBA confirmation for record-setting 3X3 tourney

MANILA, Philippines – History awaits Philippine basketball.

To culminate the first-ever Chooks-SBP 3×3 Basketball Festival, Sisters of Mary School Girlstown hosted the last 6 legs of the tourney on Sunday, January 13.

And they made sure that the Philippines would shatter the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) record for most number of participants playing in a 3×3 game. (READ: SBP, Chooks all set to break 3×3 record)

“Now, we await FIBA 3X3. The SBP is currently in the process of sending over the proper documentation to FIBA’s offices. We are confident that we have done everything right and, more importantly, get the points to qualify for the Olympics,” said Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascariñas.

“When we were just in the planning stages of the event, we expected that we will break the record. But we did not expect that it would be by a wide margin,” he added. “Girlstown made sure that the record will be owned by the country and the country should be forever grateful to them.”

A total of 1,656 girls turned out, registered in the FIBA 3X3 play app, and participated in the Under-18 tourney held in Talisay City, Cebu.

With this outcome, the two-day event had a combined 3,043 participants – shattering the previous FIBA-record of 1,898.

With the high turnout for Girlstown, the project directors of the event, headed by SBP’s Ryan Betia, Xander Gubat, Region XIII director Jerry Abuyabor, and SMS athletic director Van Parmis, split the tournament into six legs played across 36 courts.

As the two-day tourney ended, the SBP expressed its sincerest gratitude to SMS for opening its doors to them.

“To be able to give back to those thousands of kids through my passion in basketball and to serve our country as well is more than fulfilling,” said coach Mark Solano.

“Well for the SBP, all the ranking points will definitely help the federation’s 3×3 world ranking for us to fulfill our Olympic dream,” he added. – Rappler.com