The men’s team, to be coached by Ronnie Magsanoc, is headed by University of the Philippines (UP) player Ricci Rivero, joined by RJ Abarrientos and Rhayyan Amsali. With his experience in Xi’An, China, Jeepy Faundo was also supposed to be present for the next leg of the competition, but his involvement with Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) squad Columbian Dyip led to ineligibility. Charles Barkley Ebona will now take his place.
The women’s team, on the other hand, is completed by Jack Danielle Animam, Afril Bernardino, and three-point shootout champion Janine Pontejos. They’ll also be joined by new addition, Clare Castro, who stands six-foot-four. Team Philippines women’s will be led by Coach Patrick Aquino. In the words of Aquino about coaching the female team, “3×3 is the next big thing in basketball. I think women should also be involved in it and must get the exposure they need by competing, especially on the international stage. I think the girls make an impact in terms of moving closer to that goal.”
Meanwhile, SBP President Al Panlilio told the media during the announcement of the rosters, “We are making a strong push to make our Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 men’s and women’s teams compete at a high level and garner as many points as possible for the federation.” He added, “The SBP is very pleased with the success of the Gilas Pilipinas Men’s program as well as our Gilas Pilipinas Youth and our goal is to make all our Gilas Pilipinas programs including our 3×3 program and our women’s program perform and become relevant not only in our region but also in the world stage.”
Both men’s and women’s teams have already flown to Changsha on Tuesday, May 21. They will be competing with eight other squads from around Asia.