CHINESE Taipei will parade a retooled line-up against Gilas Pilipinas on Thursday, vastly different from the time the two nations last faced off in the early stage of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers.
The Taiwanese squad has brought in naturalized players Brandon Gilbeck and Mohammad Al Bachir Gadiaga for their match-up against Gilas in Taipei - their first since a February 2023 qualifier which Gilas won overwhelmingly.
However, Gadiaga, a 6-foot-2 player of Senegalese and American descent who grew up in Taipei, is classified as a local by FIBA since 2024.
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At seven feet, Gilbeck is the Taiwanese squad's new ric protector.
Also in the line-up for Chinese Taipei are Ting Chien Lin, Chien-Hao Ma, Cheng Liu, Ai-Che Yu, Kuei-Yu Chou, Shao Fu Lan, Chun Hsiang Lu, Jin Wei Gao, Kuan-Chuan Chen, and Hsiang-Chun Tseng.
Only Cheng, Jin, and Ai-Che were around when Chinese Taipei was routed by the Philippines, 106-53, in the February 2024 window game held at the Philsports Arena.
Chinese Taipei has deployed its big guns as the team which holds third place in Group B with a 1-3 win-loss slate and is vying to make it to the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 through a qualifying tournament among the third placers in each of the six groups.
Winless Hong Kong (0-4) is competing with Chinese Taipei for third place in the group. The two will be playing each other in the final day of the qualifiers on Sunday.
Mohammad had 14 points, and Gilbeck had eight points and seven blocks for Chinese Taipei in its 81-64 loss to New Zealand during the November window in Christchurch, although the final score didn’t reflect how competitive the match was.
Gilas is out to finish the qualifiers with the best record possible as the Philippines will still be up against New Zealand in an away match on Sunday.
The Nationals are coming off a stint in the Doha International Cup where the team finished 1-2, winning against Qatar and being blown out by Lebanon and Egypt.
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