
Joshua Munzon, Alvin Pasaol, CJ Perez and Mo Tautuaa were named to the final roster of Gilas Pilipinas for this week’s FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Graz, Austria.
The four were selected after Gilas 3x3 concluded its second and final training bubble at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.
Santi Santillan and Karl Dehesa, the other members of the pool, will be the alternates in the OQT which starts Wednesday, May 26 in Graz where three Tokyo Olympic slots are at stake.
Ready, set, go for the spot!
Here’s the Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 official line-up for the FIBA3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament this coming May 26-30 #SBP #ParaSaBayan #LabanPilipinas pic.twitter.com/7pC2AX0CCF
— SBP (@officialSBPinc) May 22, 2021
Gilas 3x3 is scheduled to leave for Austria Sunday, May 23 before opening its campaign three days later with two matches opposite Qatar and world No. 3 Slovenia.
Coach Ronnie Magsanoc’s squad will also take on Dominican Republic and France on Friday, May 28, needing to secure a top two finish in Pool C to reach the quarterfinals.
If successful, Gilas will need to reach the semifinals to give itself two chances of earning a berth to Tokyo.
The OQT roster features a mixture of PBA rookies with vast experiences in the halfcourt scene and two San Miguel Beer cagers who took part in the Philippines gold medal win in the men’s 3x3 competitions of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Munzon is the country's top-ranked 3x3 player followed by Pasaol, who made the team despite missing the first training bubble due to health and safety protocols.
There’s plenty of intrigue as to how Perez and Tautuaa will perform in their first major FIBA 3x3 competition.