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| Coach Ryan Gregorio steps in as SBP's 3x3 chief. PBA Images (file photo) |
QUEZON CITY--As Gilas Pilipinas begins a steep climb to qualification in the LA Olympics 3x3 basketball tournaments, the Samhang Basketbol ng Pilipinas brings in a fresh face to lead the way for the half-court program in Ryan Gregorio.
The SBP revealed on Friday that Gregorio has stepped in to replace fellow former UP Fighting Maroon Ronnie Magsanoc following a surprise slump by Gilas in the Southeast Asian Games 3x3 event.
Gilas, a perennial title contender on both the men's and women's 3x3 tournaments, failed to win a medal in last year's SEA Games in Bangkok.
"Gregorio’s mandate will be to ensure success for both teams and engage the Philippine 3x3 community with more initiatives," the SBP said in a statement.
Gregorio, a former PBA champion coach, is the younger brother of the current Philippine Sports Commission chairman, Pato.
Some reporters tried to reach out to the younger Gregorio, who paid a visit to the semifinal games on Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, but begged off for the meantime as the transition phase is just underway.
This year, Gilas begins a mad dash to claim a spot in the Los Angeles Olympics 3x3 event in 2028.
FIBA has allocated two outright seats per gender for the Asia-Pacific region, with at least one of these seats required to be from continental Asia.
If Gilas misses direct qualification, they can aim to secure a spot in either of two FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.
The first OQT will feature 12 teams that failed to make it to the 2021 and 2024 editions of the Olympic 3x3 events and also missed out on getting outright spots for 2028, assuring that two teams per gender will make the Olympics for the first time ever.
The next OQT will feature 12 more teams based on the FIBA rankings by Dec. 1, 2027.
Two Olympic Qualifier Series events are also planned to determine the last two teams per gender that will go to Hollywood.
Each OQS event will have eight teams per gender, one of them pitting champions from previous FIBA 3x3 national team events and another pitting teams trying to make one last shot at Olympic qualification.
Gilas' women's team has a huge shot at making it to LA as they are number 19 in the FIBA rankings, fifth in the Asia-Pacific region.
The men's team, on the other hand, is ranked 40th in the world and ninth in the Asia-Pacific, which means a lot of work must be done from here on.
