Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippine national basketball team, has announced its final roster for the upcoming Fiba World Cup. The team, led by naturalized player Jordan Clarkson, will feature a tall frontcourt and versatile playmakers as they aim to secure the lone Asian berth for the Paris Olympic Games next year.
The formidable frontcourt will include players like Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, June Mar Fajardo, and Japeth Aguilar, all of whom have previous World Cup experience. In the backcourt, guards Dwight Ramos and Scottie Thompson will provide leadership and versatility. Other players on the roster include CJ Perez, Roger Pogoy, and Kiefer Ravena, who have all played in previous World Cups, as well as Jamie Malonzo and Rhenz Abando.
The team will face their first challenge against the Dominican Republic this Friday at the Philippine Arena. Head coach Chot Reyes has been focusing on film and strategies to fine-tune the team’s performance leading up to the tournament. He believes that the team has the right mindset and hopes that their preparations will push them to a high level.
Reyes is aware of the tough competition they will face in the group stage, particularly from Italy, who are currently ranked 10th in the world. Italy has been performing well in their warm-up games and is considered the team to beat in Gilas’ group. Despite the challenges, Gilas aims to win at least two games in the group phase and hopes to be the best-performing Asian team in the tournament.
The Fiba World Cup will feature strong teams from countries like China, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, and Japan. Gilas Pilipinas will need to work hard to achieve their goals, but they are determined to give their best performance in the tournament.
