DEFENDING champion Manila West begins its title-retention bid in the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) 3×3 Manila Masters against No. 5 Auckland of New Zealand at the start of the preliminaries in Pool D on Saturday at the Robinsons Place in Ermita, Manila.
Manila West, composed of the country’s No. 1 3×3 player Terrence Romeo, Aldrech Ramos, Niño Canaleta and Rey Guevarra, is seeded fourth in the first leg of the Fiba 3×3 World Tour.
The Manila West-Auckland match is set at 3:20 p.m. The reigning Manila Masters champions will have a three-hour break before facing Manila South at 6:40 p.m., the final game of the preliminaries.
“Every possession counts sa 3×3 kaya dapat ang mind-set mo, give your best every game,” Romeo said. “Importante ring mag-connect kami sa labas kasi malalaki ang kalaban namin dito.”
Romeo’s Manila West reached the Fiba 3×3 World Tour in Japan and reached the quarterfinal stage.
Manila South, composed of players from Cebu who won the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’s Under-18 3×3 national tournament, will take on Auckland at 4:50 p.m.
Manila North, seeded 10th in this two-day competition, starts its campaign in Pool B against seventh-seed Beirut of Lebanon at 4:10 p.m.
The Calvin Abueva-led Manila North squad then faces the No. 2 seed Ljubljana of Slovenia at 5:40 p.m.
The top 2 teams in each pool will advance to the knockout quarterfinal stage, with the survivors proceeding to the knockout semis. The finalists, who will be seeded to the World Tour on October 15 and 16 in Dubai, face off for the crown and the $10,000 prize.
Top seed Novi Sad Al Wahda, behind the world’s No. 1 3×3 player Dusan Domovic Bulut, and No. 8 seed Medan of Indonesia open up the hostilities of the Manila Masters at 2:10 p.m. in Pool A match.
Novi Sad, the reigning World Tour champion, then faces No. 9 seed Longshi of China at 5:20 p.m. Longshi’s first game versus Medan is at 3:40 p.m.
Pool C matches include No. 3 seed Doha (Qatar) against No. 6 Kobe (Japan) at 2:50 p.m.; Kobe against Kaohsiung (Chinese Taipei) at 4:30 p.m.; and Doha-Kaohsiung encounter at 6:20 p.m.