Collier weighs Olympic chances for Gilas 3x3

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas men’s 3x3 coach Kirk Collier thinks the Philippines has better chances to qualify for basketball in 3x3 than 5x5 at the 2028 LA Olympics but the pathway for both divisions is wide open just the same.

Collier, Patrick Fran and JJ Espanola were on the coaching staff that steered Gilas to the quarterfinals, eventually finishing sixth, at the FIBA 3x3 men’s Asia Cup in Singapore early this month. It was a marked improvement from 15th place last year when the team was made up of Joseph Sedurifa, JJ Manlangit, Jeff Manday and Anton Eusebio. This time, the squad was composed of Ralph Cu, Jerrick Ahanmisi, Chris Koon and Sean Alter.

Collier said upsets aren’t surprising in 3x3, pointing to Thailand’s 21-15 win over Lithuania at the 2026 FIBA Champions Cup and China’s 21-18 decision over the US at the U23 World Cup last year. “It’s a fast game and you’ve got to play hard, ready to fight,” he said. “The two-point shot is a huge weapon. Guys have to know how to multi-task, play multiple positions, execute without dribbling, move off the ball, pressure, work non-stop and within a system.”

In Singapore, Collier said the players overachieved. Gilas made it to the main draw after beating Maldives, 21-16 and SEA Games gold medalist Thailand, 17-15 then stunned Chinese-Taipei, 21-13 to reach the quarters. Collier noted that in each win, Gilas had a different leading scorer. “Not about the players but the system,” said Collier. “While the players overachieved, I think we coaches underachieved because we could’ve done much more. We had practice thrice a week for a month but we were hardly ever complete as guys had other commitments. We were just thankful (SBP 3x3 director) coach Ryan (Gregorio), (PBA) commissioner Willie (Marcial) and (SBP Gilas director/PBA vice chairman) Boss Al (Chua) brought us together.”

On a personal basis, Collier said he’s grateful for the opportunity. “It was a new experience,” he said. “In 3x3, you can’t coach during a game so you just hope the players hear what you’re yelling from the stands. I don’t like flying but I enjoy being with the guys, teaching, guiding the progression. The key is to play efficiently and effectively. I always emphasize passing. In the NBA, 75 to 84 percent of games are won by teams with more assists and in the PBA, it’s 81 percent. More assists will mean a higher field goal percentage. In 3x3, we don’t rely on any one player, we trust the system.”