Gilas starts quest for 3×3 gold

Hopes are high on the Gilas squad despite its relative lack of experience playing in 3×3 format. #SEAG3x3basketball

CJ Perez flying to score during the Gilas 3x3 men's team's practice. (David John Cubangbang).

Gilas Pilipinas starts its quest for a gold medal in the men’s and women’s 3×3 basketball of the 30th Southeast Asian Games starting Sunday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

The Gilas men’s squad will open its bid against rival Indonesia at 12 noon, hoping for a quick, merciless kill to kick off its campaign on a high note in this event that will be played for the first time in the 60-year history of the biennial meet.

Bannered by Philippine Basketball Association players CJ Perez of Columbian, Chris Newsome of Meralco, Jason Perkins of Phoenix and Mo Tautuaa of San Miguel Beer, hopes are high on the Gilas squad despite its relative lack of experience playing in 3×3 format.

For one, Perez is tipped to play with a lot of fire following Gilas’ humiliating campaign in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China, where the nationals were hammered by an average winning margin of 29.7 points.

“Even if it’s our first time, we’ll still be playing as a team. We’re training hard and we’re doing our best to improve our cohesion,” said Perez, whose side will tackle Myanmar at 1 p.m. and Vietnam at 3 p.m. in the inaugural staging of this event.

“We did a lot of scrimmages and some scouting about the teams we will be facing. I am confident to say that we are ready. Coach Ronnie (Magsanoc) made sure that we’re equipped to fight for the gold.”

Meanwhile, the Gilas women’s side will face Myanmar in the 1 p.m. encounter with Jack Animam of newly crowned University Athletic Association of the Philippines champion National University (NU) at the forefront of the attack.

Another NU stalwart in Afril Bernardino will also carry the cudgel as well as Clare Castro of Far Eastern University and Gilas mainstay Janine Pontejos of Centro Escolar University.

After the Burmese, the nationals will tackle Malaysia at 12:40 p.m. and Indonesia at 2:20 p.m.

Head coach Patrick Aquino said the squad had been preparing hard and campaigned in various international competitions like the 2018 FIBA 3×3 World Cup in Manila and the 2019 FIBA Asia Cup in China.

“We are ready. And nothing can stop us from chasing SEA Games glory,” said Aquino, who will also call the shots for the women’s squad in the 5×5 play.