MANILA, Philippines - From the Changsha joust, Calvin Abueva will hardly have time to rest as he, along with Troy Rosario, Vic Manuel and Karl Dehesa, gear up 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 after placing second to Novi Sad in the Manila leg last August.
But Abueva, who is known as “The Beast” in the local league, Manuel, Rosario and Dehesa will have their hands full in the final which feature strong 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.