Team Philippines lands 9th place in FIBA 3×3 World Cup

FILE: FIBA 3×3 Philippine team members Ricci Rivero, Rhayyan Amsali, Jeepy Faundo, and RJ Abarrientos (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Photo)

Team Philippines lands ninth on the podium among 20 teams as the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 3×3 Under-18 World Cup came to a conclusion on October 7 in Xi’An, China.

The team consisted of current University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroon Ricci Rivero, former University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tiger team captain Jeepy Faundo, former University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) star RJ Abarrientos, and Rhyann Amsali from San Beda-Taytay. Meralco Bolts assistant coach Ronnie Magsanoc led the team as coach.

The Filipino team was the youngest team to compete, ending their performance on a high note beating out the host China 21-15 for their final game. Prior to that, they lost against Slovenia and Serbia, and won against Turkmenistan.

Amidst Coach Ronnie’s message of gratitude to Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio, he also expressed his hopes for the upcoming performances of his team, sharing with ABS-CBN Sports, “We believe that we are on the right track and ultimately will be able to compete toe to toe against the top teams in the world in the near future. I cannot ask for anything more from a group players who made things happen for flag & country in less than 14-days of being together.”

He continued, “In a span of 72-hours, these four boys turned to men in their bid to make the knockout round. Team Philippines eventually ended the FIBA World Cup under-23 competition 9th among the 20 teams.”

During the span of the FIBA 3×3 Under-18 World Cup, Abarrientos was also able to make a name for himself as he beat Aleksandr Antonikovskii of Russia and Laura Zdraveska of Germany during the three-point shoot-out. The 5’11” guard totalled nine points in the final round to take home gold, Antonikovskii finishing with the same, but not being fast enough.