The medals came in different colors, but for Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas 3X3 program director Ryan Gregorio, the bigger takeaway from the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is clear: Philippine 3×3 basketball is making progress.
The Gilas Pilipinas Men’s 3×3 team finished fourth among 18 entries after reaching the semifinals, while the Philippine women’s squad captured silver, marking a historic breakthrough for the program.
For Gregorio, those results show that Philippine 3×3 has become a legitimate force not only domestically, but also across Asia and on the international stage.
“Well, the most important thing is we’re seeing progress,” said Gregorio.
The men’s team exceeded its previous Asian Games finish by making the Final Four, while the women reached the championship game and secured a silver medal in their first Asian Games appearance.
Gregorio said the men’s fourth-place finish is another indication that the program is moving forward.
“Our men’s team made it to the semifinals and ended as the 4th-best team out of 18 entries. But, of course, we just want to get better,” he said.
The women’s silver, meanwhile, gave the federation another reason to celebrate after the team went all the way to the gold medal game.
“For the women’s team, it was a big achievement for us to be able to finish in 2nd place, or a silver medal finish for us,” Gregorio continued.
Still, Gregorio admitted that the program came to Nagoya with even bigger ambitions.
“We were really hoping for a gold medal finish. But Japan, I thought, played better than us in the finals,” the SBP official said.
The Filipinas ultimately settled for silver after falling to host Japan in the championship game, while Gilas Men missed the bronze after losing to Iran.
Rather than dwell on what could have been, Gregorio wants the results to become fuel for the next stage of development.
“So, what we need to do right now is to continue to look for ways to improve our teams and also to compete at a very high level,” he said.
For Gregorio, the most significant development may be how 3×3 has grown from a developing discipline into a program capable of producing results beyond Philippine shores.
“I think what is so nice is 3×3 basketball in the Philippines is relevant not just in our country, but also at the Asian level,” Gregorio added.
The program is also increasingly testing itself against the world’s best.
“And we’re also competing internationally now, even at the world level,” he continued.
That international exposure is becoming part of the pathway for the young players who are expected to carry Philippine 3×3 forward.
And while the Asian Games brought a fourth-place finish for the men and silver for the women, Gregorio believes the results should be viewed as part of a longer development process rather than an endpoint.
“So, progress is the most important thing for us. We’re happy, but we’re not satisfied,” he said.
From a men’s semifinal appearance to a women’s silver-medal breakthrough, the latest Asian Games campaign gave Philippine 3×3 tangible evidence of how far the program has come and a clear target for how much further it still wants to go. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
