First among equals, in every sense - literally!

KUALA LUMPUR (Mageshwaran's AsiaScope) - At the end of two weeks of frantic and frenzied action in the FIBA Asia 3x3, there were, as was to be expected, four teams that stood on the top step of the podium. The gold medals they won meant a lot more than just finishing as the number one ranked team at each of these 3x3 events. For each of these teams, it ended a long wait to finish as champions at FIBA Asia events.

For two of the teams - Qatar men and Philippines boys - it was a return to the top of the podium after a long drought, while for the other two - India women and Chinese Taipei girls - it was an unprecedented experience of being on top. These gold medals were achieved through much hard work and perseverance on the court and spending grey cells off of it. They are richly-deserved accolades which will be applauded back home.

Qatar men didn't have to wait long to celebrate since they won the gold at the 1st FIBA Asia 3x3 Championships in front of an appreciative and partisan crowd in Doha while, for the other three champions, it was time to send a message to the fans back home that they do belong at the top of the pile in FIBA Asia's scheme of competitions.

"This is a tribute to all the basketball fans in the Philippines," declared Ferdinand Ravena - the most conspicuous player in all the four events that I witnessed - moments after leading the SEABA team to gold at the 1st FIBA Asia 3x3 U18 Championship for Boys and Girls in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ravena, in fact, epitomizes the very concept of FIBA Asia 3x3.

The youngster has all the skills to make him a complete ball player, wears striking gear (all within the regulations though) and is uninhibitedly flamboyant in displaying his skills during play - the slam dunk over Chinese big guy Liu Bo in the Semi-Finals in Bangkok being one of the many examples.

"The 3x3 has provided the platform to play ball without too much pressure. Yes, there's the need to score and defend, but then that's the very essence of basketball. But apart from that there's no time really to sit and ponder over spilt milk," Ravena said.

Philippines had thus ended their gold medal drought in FIBA Asia competitions after a wait of more than two decades - the last time any Philippines team finished with a gold was at the 7th FIBA Asia U18 Championship on home soil in Manila in 1982!

For Chinese Taipei's Lin Wen-Yu, the most effective player on the girls side in Bangkok, the event "opened her eyes" to playing defense.

"For the first time I found defense can win you games," said the Yongren High School youngster after thwarting Indian 2.01m giant Poonam Chaturvedi in the Gold Medal Game.

"Honestly, when the coach told me that good defense can win us the gold medal, I didn't take it seriously. I was just doing what my coach told me to do. It was when I saw the score (21-13) at the end of the game that I realized how much I had stopped her (Chaturvedi) from scoring," Lin Wen-Yu said after leading Chinese Taipei to their first-ever gold medal in any FIBA Asia event across age groups and categories.

Chaturvedi's plight, like Ravena's flamboyance, symbolized the entire concept of FIBA Asia 3x3, but from a different point of view.

Players, and teams, will realize size and height can only take you so far in the 3x3 format of basketball, and ultimately the key to success will be the strength and superiority in fundamental skills.

To me that completed the picture of 3x3.

Teams and players needed nothing more than their willingness to play the 3x3. But to win the games, they needed something more than the mere intent to play.

Did somebody say that this was all what Olympics was about - a clear and level playing field for all those wanting to participate. But to be the first among equals, they needed to prove it.

So long…

S Mageshwaran

FIBA Asia

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

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