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| Chooks 3x3 league owner Ronald Mascarinas with Coca-Cola Philippines' Ken Lumbao (Modern Trade Manager), Neil Dizon (On-premise Senior Executive), Gabriel Balboa (Modern Trade Specialist) and Jana Tabuzo (Modern Trade Marketing). Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas |
By Dugout Philippines
MANILA—To continue its mission in garnering more FIBA 3x3 points for the Philippines in the race to the 2020 Olympics, Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 got a right partner for the job.
Beverage giant Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (Coca-Cola) joins forces with Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. (BAVI) for the 2019 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 Patriots' Cup presented by Coca-Cola.
"Coca-Cola and Chooks-to-Go share the mission which is to do whatever we can to help the country reach the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in whatever way we can," said Coca-Cola Philippines modern trade manager Ken Marvin Lumbao. "And from what we have seen during the President's Cup (first conference), Chooks-to-Go has been the one racking up points for the country.
"We want to help them out in this endeavor."
"This is indeed a great development not only for us but also for our local 3x3 basketball scene," said Ronald Mascariñas, the founder of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 -- the only level seven-ranked FIBA 3x3-accredited tournament in the country.
"With this partnership, we will continue to push for more top-level 3x3 events in the country leading up to the Nov. 1 deadline of FIBA for the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments," Mascariñas added.
Coca-Cola is no stranger to the 3x3 basketball scene.
The company has been a staunch backer of Mongolia's 3x3 program that saw the small nation climb from the cellars to become the third-ranked 3x3 basketball country in the world with 9,405,105 points.
"Besides being a football country, Mongolia is a force in the 3x3 basketball scene as they are definitely shoo-ins for the Olympics. Our company knows that the Philippines is a 3x3 powerhouse waiting to be unraveled. And with Chooks-to-Go, we will work hand in hand to make it to the top 24 and join an OQT," added Lumbao as the Philippines is currently at 28 with 2,088,477 points.
The first conference of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 saw 12 teams figure in five legs that had PHP 1,000,000 and a ticket to the 2019 FIBA 3X3 Doha Masters at stake.
To cap the conference, the league hosted the world's first-ever Super Quest that had a prize pool of USD 50,000, two tickets for the Doha Masters, a ticket to the FIBA 3x3 Challengers Penang, and two tickets to the FIBA 3X3 Challengers Kunshan as the pot.
With this tournament, the country rose from 59th in the world to a peak of 30th last April.
The Patriots' Cup will see 12 teams beefed up by foreign guest players compete in five legs. The conference begins on Sunday, June 16 at SM Seaside City Cebu.
The second leg takes place on June 22 in SM Fairview followed by the third stop in SM Muntinlupa on July 6.
SM Megamall will host the fourth leg (July 13) and the Grand Finals (July 27).
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