Andrew Velasco of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu is reportedly part of the team that will represent the country in the FIBA Asia U18 3×3 Championship on May 26-28 in Malaysia.
CDN FILE PHOTO
Within this week, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the country’s basketball governing body, will be revealing the final composition of the team that would represent the country in the FIBA Asia U18 3×3 Championship in Cyberjaya, Malaysia on May 26-28.
“SBP is now evaluating who will be named to the national men’s team after the conclusion of the Under Armour 3×3 Southeast Asia Philippine leg on April 28/29, 2017. The RP team to Cyberjaya will be selected from the top four (4) finishers of said tournament, which had Coach Joe Lipa as Tournament Director,” said the statement that was released by the SBP.
“SBP will announce the names of the four players that will compose the Philippine team in time for the May 5, 2017 deadline for line-up submission,” it added.
This writer was able to ascertain from reputable sources that Andrew Velasco and big man Alex Visser of the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, Harvey Pagsanjan of Hope Christian High School and Rhayyan Amsali of National University, were the initial choices for the team.
The two Ateneo de Cebu players were part of the Bounty B squad that recently won the Manila leg of the Under-18 division of the Under Armour 3×3 Southeast Asia.
They also placed third in the pocket tournament that was held afterwards, involving the top three Manila finishers and the Cebu U18 champion University of Cebu, as part of the selection process to determine who shall represent the country in the aforementioned Fiba Asia tilt.
The Baby Webmasters, composed of John Bryl Cuyos, Emmanuelle Bautista, Allen Peligrino and Virlou Orquez, eventually won the pocket tournament with a thrilling overtime victory over Bounty A.
UC’s team manager, lawyer Baldomero Estenzo, expressed hope that his entire squad would be picked to represent the nation in the tournament that features the likes of Lebanon, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
“I leave it to God’s will. Maybe the entire team would be sent, who knows?” said the affable longtime UC official.
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