Cebu Chooks 3×3 squad ready to face top teams in FIBA 3×3 tourney in Croatia

Cebu Chooks 3×3 squad celebrates during a Manila Masters game in May, 2022. | Photo from Chooks Pilipinas Media Bureau

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu Chooks 3×3 squad will have their backs against the wall as they are grouped with the world’s top 3×3 teams in the FIBA 3×3 Lipik Challenger in Pozesko-Slavonska Zupanija in Croatia, which kicks off tomorrow, Friday, July 22, 2022.

Cebu Chooks of Mac Tallo, Zach Huang, Brandon Ramirez, and Mike Nzeusseu will be facing their tormentor, the world No. 2 Liman of Serbia in their first match tomorrow at 11:40 PM Manila Time. 

Their other matches will be up against Switzerland’s top team Fribourg on Saturday, July 23, 2022, at 1:20 AM. 

The first time Cebu Chooks faced Liman was in May during the Manila Masters quarterfinals where they lost their match, 11-21, and got eliminated in the tournament. 

After a month off, Cebu Chooks is back in action in the FIBA 3×3 pro circuit. 

Despite the odds stacked against them, Cebu Chooks are more ready than ever. 

“Mabigat yung pagkatalo namin sa Liman noong Manila Masters,” recalled Tallo of Cebu.

(Losing to Liman during the Manila Masters was a big blow to us.)

The Cebuano ace guard will lead Cebu Chooks in their campaign being the country’s top 3×3 player and No. 78 in the world. 

“Akala namin noon na ready na kami sa kanila kasi nakaka-ensayo namin sila pero iba pa rin talaga sila sa laro.Ngayon siguro mas ready kami para sa kanila,” Tallo said.

(We thought we were ready for them because we practiced with them but they are different in the real game. Now, perhaps we are more ready to compete with them.)

Liman will field in familiar faces like world No. 4 Stefan Kojic,  No. 9 Aleksandar Ratkov, No. 13 Nebojsa Kilijan, and No. 19 Miroslav Pašajlić.

Huang, who is also from Cebu, stressed that they should also be wary of Fribourg.

“Though we haven’t seen that much of Fribourg, we have seen tapes of them and they are very skilled,” said the Philippines’ No. 2 player Huang. 

“They are as young as us and very skilled,” Huang said.

The Cebu team spent their first day in Croatia by doing conditioning exercises, a shootaround in the halfcourt, a film session with head coach Aldin Ayo, and attending the technical meeting.

The team will have one more shootaround on Friday before competing in the level nine tournament that serves as a qualifier for the Lausanne Masters.

“We know we can compete against the world’s best teams. We have proven that all year long,” said 6-foot-5 bruiser Ramirez. 

“We have mentally prepared ourselves for this grind,” Ramirez said.

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