Manila, Philippines — The Philippines is gearing up for game day as the winning Red Bull Half
Court teams, Half Court Group and Uratex Dream, head to New York representing the country
at the Red Bull Half Court World Final. Months after they earned their wings and secured their
respective spots in the competition, both teams are ready to put on a show for the global
stage.
Sam Harada, Kaye Pingol, Eunique Chan, and Afril Bernardino of Uratex Dream are challenging
for the title as Red Bull 2024 Half Court World Champion for the women’s division. Meanwhile
Chester Saldua, Matt Salem, Jordan Bartlett, and Gryann Mendoza of Half Court Group, who
are playing for the men’s division, have been laser-focused on getting back into the swing of the 3-on-3 streetball tournament. The team has emphasized the importance of staying to
shape, anticipating a fast-paced game full of pressure.
“Our outside shooting and speed will always be our main weapons,” said Half Court Group’s
Coach Mau Belen. “In practice, we make sure to improve these two skill sets and use (them)
efficiently in order to help us win games.”
Coach Belen added, “We are trying to focus on positioning better inside the court, so we’ll give
ourselves a chance to keep the ball alive and maintain an even count on possession against the other teams.”
Asked about what they expect to be their biggest challenge during the competition, the
coach shared, “We have addressed every physical and mental challenge we are about to
experience during the tournament, but one thing we can’t really prepare for is the jetlag
(that) the players will have (from) traveling to the other side of the world. This is something we hope wouldn’t put us in a big disadvantage.”
On the team’s chemistry, Coach Belen claimed, “The team has been together for (about) over
a year now, so familiarity and chemistry are not really something we’ve had to cover. But, I’ve
seen a lot of maturity in their game, and it’s something I’m excited to see in New York.”
The team’s coach also said that she constantly reminds the players the value of simply
enjoying the game. “I constantly emphasize (to them to) enjoy each game and the whole
experience because we will never know when we’ll have this kind of chance again.”
Coach Belen shared that the loss from last year’s World Final in Serbia shaped her mindset
and coaching heading to this year’s World Final. The coach said, “As a leader I (made) sure
that I improve my coaching ability in order to match the high-level competition in the World
Final. Learning the game intentionally and intensively has been my promise to myself since
the loss against Dominican Republic last year.”
Looking ahead to the competition, both Philippine representative teams share the
enthusiasm for the challenge and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of representing the
Philippines in a global street basketball. Coach Mau also expressed her aspirations for Half Court Group at the World Final this year. “I hope we as a team have had that chance to
evolve and mature on and off the court.”
National Pride on the Court
Red Bull Half Court is all about scoring buckets and playing tight offense. As the World Final
approaches, the Philippine representatives assured supporters that they are more than ready
to showcase their skill for streetball. The competition will be fierce as the teams go up against
the top streetball teams from 25 countries across the world, but both teams are up for the
challenge.
Support Half Court Group and Uratex Dream as the athletes take on the best street basketball
players from all over the world. Don’t miss the Red Bull Half Court World Final happening on
October 19 to 20 at New York City, USA.
Follow their journey at the Red Bull Half Court World Final and stay tuned for the latest
updates. To find out more, visit the official Red Bull website and the following social media
pages (Facebook | Instagram | Tiktok )
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