PH National 3×3 basketball team struggles to find 1st win in FIBA 2018

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

Ricci Rivero, Rhayyan Amsali, Jeepy Faundo, and RJ Abarrientos, representing the Philippines in Xi’an, China struggle to find their first win in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 3×3 U-23 World Cup.

Out of the 20 teams, they currently stand at 19 in the rankings being the only winless team in their division.

The team, fronted by Rivero, first lost to Slovenia 14-21, then to Serbia 16-21. Slovenia is currently ranked number five, while Serbia is holding the top spot in the world.

Philippine Coach Ronnie Magsanoc shared with ESPN that he attributes the inexperience of his players to their difficulty in strategizing against their opponents.

He said, “In the first match against Slovenia, I thought our inexperience showed in terms of competing against an elite team. We competed better against Serbia. Defensively, we put in more effort and we were more organized in our execution.”

To gain more experience, he believes Rivero, Amsali, Faundo, and Abarrientos “have to defend taller and bigger players from the other coaches.” He continued to say, “That is the only way for us to compete, stay close and give ourselves a chance to win.”

The Philippines’ next set of games will be on Friday, October 5 against no. 8 China and no. 17 Turmenistan. They must win both in order to be one of two teams in the four groups to advance to the next round. If they advance, the knock-out rounds and finals are happening on October 7.

Supporting the Philippine team and also present in the Chinese country are Samahang Basketol ng Pilipinas (SBP) officers — President Al Panlilio, Executive Director Sonny Barrios, and Special Assistant to the President Ryan Gregorio.