FIBA 3x3 Olympic qualifying postponement an advantage for inexperience Gilas 3x3 team - Serbian coach

Joshua Munzon

Serbian head coach Stefan Stojacic sees the postponement of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament as a double-edged sword for the inexperienced Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 national team. FIBA pushed back the OQT for the men's and women's divisions to next year in conjunction with the rescheduling of the Tokyo Olympics to July 23 to August 8, 2021 due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Composed of top Filipino 3x3 players Joshua Munzon (191-G-95, college: CS Los Angeles) and Alvin Pasaol, and 2019 Southeast Asian Games champions CJ Perez and Moala Tautuaa (200-C-89, college: Chadron St.), the Gilas 3x3 was supposed to play in the postponed 20-team qualifiers for the Olympic debut of 3x3 last March 18 to 22 in Bangalore, India. 'The good thing is, the team didn't spend enough time together. That is especially important because CJ and Mo didn't play enough 3x3 games in their careers,' the 31-year-old Stojacic, who is in his hometown of Novi Sad, Serbia, told The Manila Times in an email interview. Both the Fil-Am guard Munzon and bruiser Pasaol, ranked No. 1 and 2 in the Philippines, have played professional 3x3 basketball in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas league and various FIBA 3x3-sanctioned international tournaments. On the other hand, Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) stars Perez and Tautuaa only got a real taste of high-level 3x3 during the SEA Games. The postponement could have given the players more time to go under training tailored for the 3x3 format and see action in top-notch competitions. However, the world-ranked No. 57 cager Stojacic fears that Perez and Tautuaa might get busy with their duties in the PBA on top of their commitment to Gilas 5-on-5 squad while Munzon and Pasaol might pursue their PBA dreams. Munzon and Pasaol skipped the PBA Draft last year to remain as key cogs in the country's bid to enter the breakthrough 3x3 event in the Summer Games. The PBA has already warned that eligible players who choose to skip the draft for two straight years will be banned from the league. 'They (Perez and Tautuaa) will be back in their 5-on-5 teams, so again, they will not be playing 3x3. For other players (Munzon and Pasaol), I know they are considering going to the PBA. So, no one knows who will be available to play for the OQT next year,' said the 2018 FIBA 3x3 World Tour MVP. 'Mo, CJ, Munzon, and Pasaol are great, but they need more time to play 3x3 on a professional level. Lack of experience is the biggest problem. But that problem is really problematic to solve because they are first of all professional 5-on-5 players.'
Courtesy of: manilatimes.net

Tags : JOSHUA MUNZON, AMA ONLINE SENIOR HIGH, FILIPINO BASKETBALL