Metrostar ready for battle in HoopBattle tourney

Metrostar, not to be confused with the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association team of a similar moniker, ruled the Philippine qualifier of the said China-based 3×3 basketball tourney by sweeping the entire qualifier. (Pixabay photo)

MANILA — Metrostar Realty team coach and trainer Jojo Quinga said his team is ecstatic to play in the HoopBattle 3×3 Tournament in Suzhou, China.

“Everybody is so excited and training hard for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Quinga told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview Friday.

Metrostar, not to be confused with the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association team of a similar moniker, ruled the Philippine qualifier of the said China-based 3×3 basketball tourney by sweeping the entire qualifier.

The squad of Joseph Navarro, Reinier Quinga, Argene Sabaza, and eventual Philippine qualifiers most valuable player Jamal Thomas, beat the more heralded Team Core of Mandaluyong El Tigre players John Vidal, JP Cauilan, Axel Torres, and JR Alabanza, 21-10, in the finals to take the PHP200,000 top prize.

With two spots in the main tournament reserved for the Philippine qualifiers, Team Core, which went home with a PHP100,000 runner-up prize, will also join Metrostar in China.

Quinga will once again rest his laurels on Thomas, a 6-foot-5 forward who was once an import prospect by NorthPort, to lead the way for Metrostar.

“He is in tip-top condition now. He is our money man in the shaded area. He told me that he does not want this opportunity to be wasted,” the elder Quinga said.

The HoopBattle 3×3 Tournament is underway as of posting and will run through the weekend.