 |
| There is no holiday break for Chris Koon as he makes his Gilas 3x3 debut in Singapore during Holy Week. Peter Baltazar (file photo) |
MANILA--Gilas Pilipinas will be at work during the Holy Week as both its 3x3 programs will compete in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in Singapore.
Three PBA players, Terrafirma's Jerrick Ahanmisi, Magnolia's Chris Koon, and Ginebra's Ralph Cu, as well as University of the Philippines' Sean Alter, were called up for the men's team, which will see action in the said tournament that starts on Wednesday.
In an interview with Dugout Philippines, Koon said that despite being rivals in the 5-on-5 scene, they quickly jelled during 3x3 practices.
"Coach Kirk Collier, our assistant coach at Magnolia, invited me to the pool. I was really surprised, but I'm really blessed to be a part of it. We've been practicing a lot, and we have great chemistry," Koon said, adding that it is a wish come true to finally wear a Gilas jersey.
It has been a very hectic past few days for the six-foot-five wingman as he bounces through the Hotshot practices in the morning and Gilas training later in the night, while he, too, continues his studies at Ateneo.
Being called up to Gilas means Koon and his teammates will need to set aside their holiday weekend plans to fight for the Three Stars and a Sun.
However, Koon sees his Holy Week work in a positive light, saying, "I look at it more as a privilege just to be able to keep playing. I love playing basketball. To be able to play for the country and train--the ball stops bouncing at some point--I just got to make the most of it."
Gilas, seeded ninth in the men's division, will undergo a qualifying pool for a spot in the main draw.
While Gilas is the favorite to rule the qualifying phase, which also has the Maldives and Thailand in it, Koon is not taking the two opponents lightly.
"Those first two games against Maldives and Thailand are gonna be tough, and we need those two wins to move on. That's kind of our focus right now," he further said.
"We want to get those two wins first, and hopefully, then we'll take it day by day."
The top team in the qualifying group will join Mongolia and Chinese Taipei in Pool A of the main tournament.
Gilas will first play the Maldives at 3:50 p.m. on Maundy Thursday before battling Thailand at 8:25 p.m.
Meanwhile, Gilas' women's team has been given an outright spot in the pool stages for being the fifth seed.
The quartet of Cheska Apag, Afril Bernardino, Mikka Cacho, and Kacey Dela Rosa has been grouped with Australia in Pool D.
Both Gilas and Australia will await the winner of the qualifying pool that has the Maldives, Tonga, and Macau in it.
