MANILA – Despite suffering back-to-back losses in their 2023 FIBA World Cup group stage game, there is still a chance for Gilas Pilipinas to earn an outright ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, that automatic chance for the Philippine men’s basketball team will only be there if they score a massive upset over world no. 10 Italy on Tuesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
That small hope of outright qualification gave Gilas head coach Vincent “Chot” Reyes a reason to dream following their defeats to Dominican Republic last Friday (87-80) and Angola (80-70) last Sunday.
“No matter how flickering that hope is, that hope is still alive,” the long-time national men’s basketball team coach said. “We need to keep our heads up and find a way to play our best in the next game.”
According to Reyes, it will be a tough task for his team as they do not only need to beat Italy but the winning margin must be 13 points for them to become the second team from Group A to qualify to the next round of the competition.
It is important for Gilas Pilipinas to reach the next round as it will move them closer to become the “Best Asian finisher” in the World Cup, which will automatically enter the Paris Olympics.
However, among the competitors of Gilas Pilipinas for the “Best Asian finisher” is Japan, which scored a massive 98-88 upset victory over Finland on Sunday evening in Okinawa, Japan.
“The first thing for us is to make sure that we come out and prepare and find a way to win that game,” said Reyes, who knew that Italy would be extra determined after they lost to the Dominicans, 87-82, last Sunday.
“The quotient will take care of itself, so we need to focus on what we need to do to be able to compete against a Top 10 team in the world,” he added. “Italy is Italy, that’s what I can say.”
If ever Gilas Pilipinas loses, they will be relegated to the classification round against the two eliminated teams from Group B, which is composed of Serbia, China, Puerto Rico and South Sudan./PN
