THE Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 men’s team will have to go through the defending Asian Games champion as the knockout stage of the half-court competitions gets going on Thursday in Nagoya, Japan.

Chinese Taipei sealed a quarterfinals showdown with the Philippines after defeating Malaysia, 21-14, in their play-in at the Kinjo-futo Station Square.

The 2022 gold medal winners in Hangzhou, China were relegated to the playoffs after finishing second in Pool C (2-1) behind unbeaten Qatar.

Malaysia meanwhile, ended up third in Pool B (1-2).

Chang Chun-sheng, the only remaining member of the team that won the inaugural staging of the 3×3 in the Asiad, paced Chinese Taipei with seven points and five rebounds, while Yeh Wei-chieh also had seven.

Coach Patrick Fran is familiar with the Chinese Taipei team as the Philippines went up against the Taiwanese three times during the FIBA 3×3 U23 Nations League.

“Tatlong beses namin nakalaban yan, 2-1 sa amin. We won twice, we lost one in six stops,” said Fran from the Aichi Prefecture.

Fran was also a deputy coach of the men’s 3×3 team that beat Chinese Taipei in the pool stage of the Hangzhou Asiad, 17-12.

Chinese Taipei won the gold by beating Qatar, 18-16.

South Korea, Qatar, and Iran join the Philippines as outright quarterfinalists after topping their respective group during the pool play.

The rest of the four berths in the knockout stage will be disputed through a play-in.

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FIBA 3×3 World Cup veteran Kacey Dela Rosa will banner the Gilas women’s team competing in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

Dela Rosa is joined in the squad by Kennan Elizabeth Ka, Amyah Espanol, and Victoria Pasilang, with Anton Altamirano calling the shots.

The 22-year-old Dela Rosa, the two-time UAAP MVP from Ateneo, was part of the Gilas 3×3 unit that saw action in the World Cup last June in Warsaw, Poland where she teamed up with Afril Bernardino, Micca Cacho, and Camille Clarin.

Now she’ll try to lead the country’s bid for the gold that hit a snag in the 2022 edition of the Asiad when the Philippines withdrew from the tournament after two of its four players were barred by the Asiad Organizing Committee in Hangzhou, China.

The 22-year-old Ka is a 6-foot Fil-Am playing for the University of the Philippines; the 5-foot-8 Espanol, also a Fil-Am, is from Far Eastern University, while Pasilang, 22, from Cebu, also plays for the Lady Tamaraws.

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Espanol and Ka were with the Gilas quartet that secured a spot in the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup in Wuhan, China.

The two however, won’t be suiting up in the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup set Sept. 15-19, as the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) opted to send a different set of players, according to 3×3 program director Ryan Gregorio.

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FIBA 3×3 World Cup veteran Kacey Dela Rosa will banner the Gilas women’s team competing in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

Dela Rosa is joined in the squad by Kennan Elizabeth Ka, Amyah Espanol, and Victoria Pasilang, with Anton Altamirano calling the shots.

The 22-year-old Dela Rosa, the two-time UAAP MVP from Ateneo, was part of the Gilas 3×3 unit that saw action in the World Cup last June in Warsaw, Poland where she teamed up with Afril Bernardino, Micca Cacho, and Camille Clarin.

Now she’ll try to lead the country’s bid for the gold that hit a snag in the 2022 edition of the Asiad when the Philippines withdrew from the tournament after two of its four players were barred by the Asiad Organizing Committee in Hangzhou, China.

The 22-year-old Ka is a 6-foot Fil-Am playing for the University of the Philippines; the 5-foot-8 Espanol, also a Fil-Am, is from Far Eastern University, while Pasilang, 22, from Cebu, also plays for the Lady Tamaraws.

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Espanol and Ka were with the Gilas quartet that secured a spot in the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup in Wuhan, China.

The two however, won’t be suiting up in the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup set Sept. 15-19, as the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) opted to send a different set of players, according to 3×3 program director Ryan Gregorio.

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PATRICK Fran gets another shot at a 3×3 men’s basketball medal at the Asian Games.

The 53-year-old former PBA player has been tasked to handle the Gilas men’s 3×3 side that is out to redeem itself in the quadrennial showcase slated in Nagoya, Japan this month.

Fran was named head coach of the team put together by 3×3 project director Ryan Gregorio of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) after working with JJ Espanola in calling the shots for the U21, U23, and senior men’s teams.

Comprising the Asiad 3×3 unit are Binan Tatak Gel’s Nic Cabanero, Koji Buenaflor of University of Santo Tomas, and the De La Salle duo of Doy Dungo and Luis Pablo.

Fran, a proud product of Santo Tomas who played for TNT and Air21 and later, became assistant coach at Meralco, was with the coaching staff of the Gilas 3×3 team when the half-court game made its debut in the Hangzhou Asiad in 2022.

The national team – then comprised of Bismarck Lina, Bryan Sajonia, Janrey Pasaol, and Justine Sanchez – made it to the knockout quarterfinals, where it lost to South Korea, 19-16.

But the Philippines was the only team to beat Chinese Taipei, 17-12, during the group stage. Chinese Taipei eventually ended up winning the gold by beating Qatar, 18-16.

This time, Fran will be handling a team whose members are seeing action in the FIBA 3×3 World Cup in Wuhan, China a week before the Asiad.

Espanola will call the shots in the World Cup.

Buenaflor is with the U-21 team that qualified for Wuhan, while Pablo and Dungo are with the U-23 team seeing action in the same World Cup meet in China.

Cabanero meanwhile, was with the Gilas 3×3 team that advanced in the semis of the Asian Beach Games, but lost to perennial rival Thailand, 20-18.

The 3×3 World Cup will be held from Sept. 15 to 19, although the half-court competitions in the Asiad won’t start until Sept. 21 at the Kinio-futo Station Square.

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