For the first time in Southeast Asian Games history, the Philippines has been completely shut out of the 3×3 basketball podium. No gold. No silver. Not even a bronze to salvage pride.
The men’s team, who won the inaugural tournament in 2019, fell to a hungry Singaporean squad in the semifinals and then collapsed against Malaysia in the battle for third. The women’s team fared no better, bowing out early in the group stages after losses to Indonesia and Malaysia.
An SBP Failure First and Foremost
Now, as the dust has settled, it’s time we call a spade a spade: This medal-less campaign in hoops, albeit in 3×3, is a debacle. It is an unmitigated disaster for a basketball-crazy nation. Human nature says blame the players for not accomplishing their mission. But that’s reductive and unfair to them. They poured their heart and soul. They played hard. They tried their very best to win. No, they’re not really to blame here.The real blame lies squarely at the feet of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
By all measures, the writing was on the wall. The SBP by their actions appears to be treating 3×3 as the unwanted stepchild of the 5×5 game—a side event to be scrambled together at the eleventh hour rather than a specialized discipline requiring year-round focus. We saw it in the lack of preparation. While our Southeast Asian neighbors were busy running dedicated 3×3 circuits and building chemistry, we were once again playing catch-up, hastily assembling a team made up of players who looked like strangers on the court when it mattered most.
There’s also the issue of personnel—and this is no knock on the efforts of Ange Kouame, Joseph Eriobu, Janrey Pasaol, and Joseph Sedurifa for the men’s team and Mikka Cacho, Kaye Pingol, Reynalyn Ferrer and Jhaz Joson on the distaff side. These two teams fought valiantly, and we’re pretty sure they’re a talented bunch. But let’s not kid ourselves. They’re probably not the absolute best the SBP could form and Philippines has to offer.
In a country teeming with PBA stars and lethal one-on-one specialists, sending a lineup that hasn’t been battle-tested together against international competition is akin to bringing a knife to a gunfight. We have the talent pool to overwhelm this region; the SBP simply chose not to dip into it effectively. We could’ve brought in the big guns; instead, the SBP chose knives.
Comparisons are inevitable. When Gilas 3×3 swept the golds in 2019, it felt like our birthright. We sent the finest talent we could: Chris Newsome, CJay Perez, Jason Perkins, and Mo Tautaa for the men and Jack Animam, Afril Bernardino, Clare Castro, and Janine Pontejos for the women. This time around we didn’t send our A team. Neither did we form our B team. It might not even be the C team with all the talent available here in the country, especially on the men’s side.
The Philippines Can’t Get Complacent Anymore
Add the fact that the region is starting to caught up. Singapore’s historic silver and Thailand’s gold are not flukes; they are the result of programs that respect the unique grind of the half-court game. They scouted, they prepared, and they executed. We, on the other hand, rested on our laurels, assuming the name “Gilas” alone would be enough to scare opponents into submission.
It wasn’t.
Again, to be fair, the players showed heart. Kouame and Sedurifa rallied late against Malaysia, narrowing the gap to a single point before falling short. But heart alone doesn’t win medals when the system setting you up for success is broken.
The SBP must now look in the mirror. This debacle must serve as the final wake-up call. The rest of Southeast Asia is no longer intimidated by us. If we want to reclaim our throne, we need to stop treating 3×3 as a pickup game and start treating it like the Olympic sport it is. Anything less is a disservice to the flag.
