COMING OFF the success of the biggest 3×3 basketball festival in the world last January, Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 is set to bring the country’s first-ever 3×3 league to Cebu.
Hosting the opening leg of the 2019 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 Patriots’ Cup is the SM Seaside Activity Center on Saturday, June 1.
“I’m glad to announce that the second conference of our league will open in Cebu on June 1,” disclosed league owner Ronald Mascariñas.
“With the support we got from the basketball-loving Cebuanos last January, we made sure to bring our league to them,” he continued.
Last January, Chooks-to-Go and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas organized the biggest two-day 3×3 basketball tourney the world has ever seen. A FIBA-record 3,043 participants from Sisters of Mary School Boystown and Girlstown played during the weekend of Jan. 12 to 13.
Unlike the President’s Cup, adding spice to the second conference is that each team will be allowed to field an import in the Patriots’ Cup.
“The second conference will be a reinforced conference. We are going to allow one foreign player to play per team,” unveiled league commissioner Eric Altamirano.
“For the number of legs, we will limit it to at least five legs. Currently, FIBA might ask us to host another Super Quest as the sixth leg just like the President’s Cup,” he continued.
Home team Cebu-Max4 Birada will make their return together with the 11 pioneering squads of the league, namely Bacoor Strikers, Bataan Strikers, Bulacan Kuyas, Marikina Shoemasters, Pasay Voyagers, Pasig-Grindhouse Kings, Quezon City-Zark’s Jawbreakers, San Juan-Go for Gold Knights, Valenzuela Classic, Vigan Baluarte Wolves, and Zamboanga Valientes.
Besides this, the league is also looking to add four more teams, including the possibility of adding two teams from Indonesia and Japan.
“We are looking at retaining the twelve pioneering teams. If there will be additions, we need to have at least four additional teams. We need to add teams by four for scheduling purposes. So it’s either four to eight teams,” said Altamirano.
“Currently, we have received interest from a couple of international teams as well. An Indonesian club and a Japanese club already talked to us during the Super Quest,” added Mascariñas.
