After an 11th place finish in the recently concluded FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters in Montreal, Canada, the Manila Chooks TM is looking to going back to the drawing board as they prepare to compete in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 and other international tournaments later in the year.
Cebuano guard Mac Tallo, who led the team in scoring in Montreal, said they sorely lacked cohesion in the last tournament but that can be easily remedied with more preparation time, something that they did not get much of due to the strict community quarantine that was imposed in the National Capital Region and its surrounding areas.
“We need to improve more on our teamwork. Kulang pa kami sa gel,” said the former two-time MVP of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) and one of Cebu’s most beloved players.
“To tell you honestly, mahirap mag practice before going sa Montreal lalo na sa situation ngayon,” added the former PBA guard.
Another thing that the team needs to work on is their defensive proficiency, although their lack of size will always be a problem—something that their opponents took full advantage of in their two contests in Montreal.
“Defensively lugi talaga kami sa ilalim pero we can do better than our recent defense. Nagkulang lang sa condition,” Tallo pointed out.
Despite their two losses, Tallo concluded that their Canada stint was good for the team and that they’re taking steps in the right direction.
“For us, this is a good experience, lalo na na new team kami. This is just a start for us. This is not our time yet pero we are getting there,” Tallo said. (JNP)