Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas bagged fifth place in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup to cap off an impressive run for a team that barely had any preparation for the tournament which featured the best basketball clubs in Asia.
The Philippine squad ended its campaign with an 89-79 victory over Mono Vampire of Thailand on Saturday at Chenzhou Sports Complex in China to finish just outside the top four.
Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas was a late invitee to the tournament, receiving a wild card entry just more than two weeks before the competition.
And despite assembling at the last minute a very young team whose members are mostly new on the international stage, Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas still managed to put up a decent campaign. It began the tournament with an impressive 73-65 win over BC Astana of Kazakhstan–a legitimate club that finished at third place.
The team led by former NBA prospect Isaiah Austin and Kiefer Ravena had a gallant stand against Sareyyet Ramallah of Palestine, 89-82, before beating Thailand league champion Mono Vampire, 115-102.
Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas bowed to Iranian powerhouse Petrochimi, 87-66, and got eliminated after an 86-70 quarterfinal loss to defending champions China Kashgar.
But the team bounced back by routing Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai, 92-57, and again topping Mono Vampire in the classification phase.
The tournament served as an audition of sorts for Austin who has been picked as a naturalization candidate for the Philippines. The long-bodied 7’1″ center didn’t disappoint, averaging 20 points, 13 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.1 blocks while serving as the team’s anchor on defense.
Ravena was also a revelation in the tournament, asserting himself as a scorer and leader. He averaged 20.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists while having impressive shooting percentages (53 percent overall in field goals, 36 percent from the three-point area, 93 percent from free throws).
