MANILA, Philippines – From the Changsha joust, Calvin Abueva will hardly have a rest as, together with Troy Rosario, Vic Manuel and Karl Dehesa, they prepare for the FIBA 3X3 World Tour Final in Abu Dhabi next week.
Alaska coach Alex Compton said they have approved Abueva’s and Manuel’s participation in the Abu Dhabi Final that they earned in placing second to Novi Sad in the Manila leg last August.
Abueva, Manuel, Rosario and Dehesa will have a top mountain to climb in the final featuring teams from the United States, Brazil, Lithuania, Slovenia, Poland, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.
In fact, Manila North is ranked 12th and last in the 12-team field.
Manila North is bracketed with Doha, Qatar and Kranj, Slovenia in Pool D. The Filipinos need to be at least second in the group to make the knockout stage.
Last year, the Manila West team of Terrence Romeo, KG Canaleta, Aldrech Ramos and Rey Guevarra topped the Manila Masters to go through to the final tournament in Tokyo.
Manila North eliminated Manila West in the semifinals in this year’s Manila tourney.
Abueva is fresh from a stint with Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Asia where Rosario served as a reserve.