Gilas 3×3 opens Asia Cup road with familiar hurdle in Thailand 

Gilas Pilipinas men’s 3×3 opens its campaign in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup qualifiers on Thursday in Singapore, with two important games standing between the team and a place in the main draw.

The Philippine quartet of Ralph Cu, Jerrick Ahanmisi, Chris Koon, and Sean Alter will first face Maldives before taking on Thailand later in the day at the OCBC Arena.

The Filipinos are seeded ninth in the qualifying tournament and are grouped with 22nd-ranked Maldives and 15th-ranked Thailand in Group A. With only the top team in the group advancing, every game will carry major weight for Gilas.

If the Philippines tops the group, it will move on to the main draw and join Mongolia and Chinese Taipei in Pool A.

Among the two opponents, Thailand is expected to be Gilas’ biggest challenge.

The Thais will parade the same roster that captured the gold medal in the 3×3 event of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, made up of Panthawat Techasamran, Freddie Lish, Noppachai Thongpool, and Chanatip Jakrawan.

That same Thailand team also recently turned heads in international play after scoring a 21-15 upset win over Lithuania in the FIBA 3×3 Champions Cup. Lithuania is one of Europe’s top 3×3 teams, making that result a strong indication of how dangerous the Thais can be.

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𝟯𝘅𝟯 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝗚𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝟯𝘅𝟯 (𝗠𝗲𝗻) 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲:
April 2, 2026 – Thursday
3:50PM pht | Maldives
8:25PM pht | Thailand
Singapore

FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026 Tickets may be purchased at: https://t.co/8Jgv4R4BFM#3x3AsiaCup

— GILAS BAR ʚଓ (@gilasbar) March 30, 2026

For Gilas, the tournament will serve as the first real test for a newly assembled team that has been training together for nearly two months.

The squad was put together by coaches Kirk Collier, Patrick Fran, and JJ Espanola, with the goal of building a competitive group capable of making noise in the regional 3×3 scene.

The lineup offers a mix of experience and versatility, with Ahanmisi, Cu, and Koon bringing professional-level exposure, while Alter adds youth and energy coming from the collegiate ranks.

The Philippines will need to quickly find its rhythm in a format where games are shorter, faster, and often decided by small details. In 3×3 basketball, there is little room for slow starts, missed rotations, or wasted possessions.

That makes the opening game against Maldives important not just for the standings, but also for momentum heading into the likely decisive matchup against Thailand.

The FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup runs from April 1 to 5, with the qualifiers determining the last teams that will complete the tournament proper.

For Gilas, the mission is clear: survive the qualifying round, beat a familiar regional rival, and earn a shot at competing against Asia’s top 3×3 teams.

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