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GILAS Pilipinas begins their campaign in the November window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers on Friday, facing Thailand in the first of a two-game series scheduled in Manama, Bahrain.
This time with amateur and college star flags, the Philippines men’s basketball team, currently 1-0 in the tournament, is looking to stay unscathed and build momentum for future playoff windows.
Fourteen players are included in the group of Gilas for the window, namely: Kobe Paras, Juan and Javi Gomez De Liano, Jaydee Tungcab, Dwight Ramos, Dave Ildefonso, Will Navarro, Justine Baltazar, Calvin Oftana, Kenmark Carino, Isaac Go, Matt and Mike Nieto and Rey Suerte.
As of this writing, the team has yet to announce who the final 12 players will be available for the team’s first game, scheduled for 9pm (Manila time), at Khalifa Sports City Stadium.
The team’s coach is veteran Jong Uichico, supported by SBP program director Tab Baldwin, assistant coach Boyet Fernandez, and skills coach Alton Lister.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas said they are excited to see Gilas’ young team in action as they see it as laying the groundwork for the future, including the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup in 2023, where the Philippines is one of the hosts.
“I’m excited because he’s only going to level up Filipino basketball with this experience and yes, a lot of youngsters, I’m excited to see who of these players will be there in 2023 and of course will compete in the slots with PBA (Veterans of the Philippine Basketball Association), ”SBP President Al Panlilio said Tuesday on Tiebreaker Vods 2OT podcast.
“We are really looking at this as a long-term program for the national team,” he added.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Philippines have played just one match to date in Group A, a 100-70 win over Indonesia (0-2) in February in Jakarta.
Thirdy Ravena, who currently plays in the Japanese league, led the way for Gilas in that game, finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds. PBA stars CJ Pérez and Roger Pogoy backed him up with 20 and 19 points, respectively.
Messrs. Ramos y Go and Juan Gómez De Liano and Matt Nieto were also part of the team at the time, combining for 31 points.
Thailand, meanwhile, has also played a single match, losing to group leader South Korea (2-0), 93-86.
Thai-American Tyler Lamb set the pace for his team in that game, finishing with a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Nakorn Jaisanuk followed with 15 points, with Chanatip Jakrawan and Wattana Suttisin adding 13 and 12 points each.
Depending on the tournament format, the top two teams in the group at the end of the playoffs advance to the FIBA Asia Cup scheduled for August next year.
Gilas versus Thailand will be broadcast live on One Sports and ONE Sports +.
The second game between the two teams will be on November 30. Michael Angelo S. Murillo
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