Desiderio hooks up with Chooks

MANILA, Philippines — On the lookout for another scoring threat to back him up, Mac Tallo, the country’s No. 1 3x3 player, finally got what he wanted.

Former University of the Philippines standout and Cebuano guard Paul Desiderio will beef up the Manila Chooks! 3x3 squad set to do battle in the FIBA 3x3 Ulaanbaatar Super Quest.

Aside from Tallo and Desiderio, the all-Filipino 3x3 cagers also have No. 2 Brandon Ramirez and No. 12 CJ Payawal in the FIBA level 8 tilt set to kick off tomorrow at the Royal 3x3 Lounge in Ub Palace, Mongolia.

“For me, Paul is a big help kasi we all know how he plays and alam natin kung saan siya magaling. Ang sarap ng buhay na may kasama ka sa isang aspeto na kulang ang team and alam natin scoring machine siya and he has a high basketball IQ,” Tallo said of Desiderio, a native of Liloan town.

The 6-foot-1 Desiderio vowed to prove his worth in his maiden stint in 3x3 international play.

“I’m excited and determined to do well in this tournament, and it feels great to be playing with Mac because he is the No.1 3x3 player in the country,” he said.

“I just want to help the team to win more games. This will be my first time competing in a 3x3 international level but with our team’s effort, I know we are working hard every day for this, and we will try our best and just go out there and win.”

Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascariñas is convinced the wards of head trainer Chico Lanete have what it takes.

“With the stronger offensive core of our all-Filipino squad coupled with great leadership and communication, I believe our team will be one of the teams to beat in the tournament. They will come prepared,” said Mascariñas.

The top two teams after the meet gain slots to the World Tour Manila Masters next month.