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Munzon, Pasaol banner Gilas 3x3 pool for OQT

The Gilas 3x3 pool to the FIBA 3x3 OQT. Chooks-To-Go
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—As anticipated, Joshua Munzon and Alvin Pasaol headline the Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 pool for the first FIBA 3x3 OQT.

As revealed on Thursday, Munzon and Pasaol, the top two Filipino 3x3 players right now, made the 10-man pool that will serve as the basis for the final Gilas 3x3 lineup.

Completing the pool are Dylan Ababou, Karl Dehesa, Santi Santillan, Chris De Chavez, Gab Banal, Jaypee Belencion, Leo De Vera, and Ryan Monteclaro.

The said players, who are currently playing in the Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas 3x3, are inside the Top 15 among Filipino 3x3 players, and the points they racked up are mainly because of their respective stints in the said league.

The pool has been training since December with Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas 3x3 commissioner Eric Altamirano and Serbian coaches Stefan Stojacic and Darko Krsman overseeing the practices. Troy Rike and Franky Johnson were also tabbed to help the national pool in practice.

Stojacic, who plays club basketball for Liman, is ranked second in the FIBA 3x3 men's rankings but is currently coaching China. Krsman, on the other hand, is tasked for strength and conditioning.

"The Serbians will help us out who are the best players who will compose the team for the OQT," said Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas 3x3 league owner Ronald Mascariñas.

The final lineup, as stated in the FIBA 3x3 rules, will consist of six players with four coming from the Top 10, basically meaning the core of the final Gilas 3x3 roster will come from either Munzon (first in the Philippine 3x3 rankings), Pasaol (second), Ababou (third), Dehesa (fourth), Santillan (fifth), De Chavez (seventh), or Banal (10th).

The top three teams in the OQT scheduled from March 18-22 in New Delhi will enter the inaugural Summer Olympic 3x3 event in Tokyo.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno