‘Bridge the gap’: Half Court 3×3 basketball rises as PBA event folds

MANILA, Philippines – This team aims to keep the ball rolling for 3×3 hoops in the country.

After the PBA 3×3 basketball tournament got shelved, coach Mau Belen and her former TNT Triple Giga players decided to prop up the sport by launching the Half Court 3×3 Camp and Tournament this September at Okada Manila. 

“I hope they see Half Court as a tool for them to reach their dreams,” said Belen, who formed the league along with players Chester Saldua, Samboy de Leon, and Matt Salem. 

“Hopefully, we bridge the gap between the pros and amateurs. Imagine, how many graduating men and women every year — some of them hopeful to enter the professional scene — but how many percent of them will ever enter a league?”

The Half Court tournament comes three months after the PBA shelved its 3×3 league, ending its three-year run. 

Mentored by Belen, TNT ruled six of the nine PBA 3×3 conferences, and also bagged the Grand Slam title in the 2022-2023 season. 

With TNT’s success, Belen scored the Gilas 3×3 coaching gig earlier this year, where the national team tapped Triple Giga players Saldua, Gryann Mendoza, Ping Exciminiano, and Almond Vosotros. 

Now, Vosotros and Exciminiano moved back to the 5-on-5 game with the Tropang Giga in the PBA, leaving Belen and the rest of the 3×3 team to pursue a new venture. 

“With the success that we’ve been able to have here in the Philippines, we were blessed to be able to go internationally and compete abroad,” said Saldua.

“We saw the potential of 3×3, of what it is internationally, and that’s what we want to bring here.” 

The tournament will be staged in three weekends this September, featuring men’s and women’s tournaments with eight teams each.

According to Belen, the winner of the Half Court 3×3 men’s tournament will represent the country in the FIBA 3×3 Pocheon Challenger in October in South Korea. 

The players seeing action include former PBA 3×3 mainstays and  Gilas women’s 3×3 team standouts. 

“We’re not limiting our tournament to just semi-pro, amateur, professional. If you feel like you can take on 3×3 basketball, you can join,” Belen said.

“Hopefully, with events like these, we can show that we mean serious business. It’s something that we want to show and make a name for ourselves.”

The Half Court tournament will start on September 7-8, with the Grand Finals scheduled on September 21-22 at the Crystal Pavilion in Okada Manila. – Rappler.com