University of Cebu team tops Under Armour 3X3
GLOBAL sports apparel brand Under Armour successfully held the Manila leg and finals of its 3X3 Southeast Asian basketball competition with a team from Cebu winding on top.
Took place at the newly opened Titan Love Court at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig on Friday and Saturday, Under Armour played host to 66 teams, 42 in the Under-18 division and 24 in the Open division, in the tournament sanctioned by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, Inc. (SBP) and served as a qualifier for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup happening later this month in Malaysia.
Winners in the Cebu leg of the tournament the previous week, the University of Cebu Baby Webmasters emerged on top, beating Bounty Team A, 21-20, in overtime in the national finals pocket tournament involving the top three teams in the Manila leg and the champion in the Cebu leg, which was part of the selection process on who gets to represent the country in the FIBA 3X3 Asia Cup.
In clinching the victory, the Baby Webmasters were towed by the free throws of Allen Dave Pelegrino. The rest of the team was composed of John Bryl Cuyos, John Emmanuel Bautista and Virlou Orquez.
Bounty Team A, which finished second in the Manila leg after losing to Bounty Team B, 16-14, was made up of Rhayan Amsali, Win Coyoca, Harvey Pagsanjan and Russell Bagauisan.
Manila leg champion Bounty Team B, meanwhile, was composed of Andrew Velasco, Alex Visser, Michael Malonzo, and Ernest Felecilda while thirdplaced team Escuela de Sophia had Earl Yu, Joshua Moralejo, Adrian De Jesus, and Marvin Refrosado.
“Our advocacy is to give everybody the chance to shine, whether you play on the street or in the big league,” said Adrian Chai, executive director and cofounder of Triple Private Limited, exclusive distributor of Under Armour in Southeast Asia, in describing why they are rallying behind the growing basketball form of 3x3.
Since making its global competitive debut at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore, the International Basketball Federation ( FIBA) has expounded 3x3’s growth with various tournaments held in different parts of the world since.
Meanwhile, victorious in the Open division was the EGS Elite squad of Ian Garido, Rocky Acidre, Mark Doligon, and Rutger Acidre, which beat Argie Flores, Nikko Echano, Ralph Rivas, and Paul Jundez of MIT, 18-13.
The FIBA 3X3 U18 Asia Cup 2017 will take place from May 26 to 28 at the Cyberjaya Gem in Mall, Malaysia.