THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) doesn't consider games in the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers as no bearing games for the Philippines, even as Gilas has a spot secure as one of the hosts.
"It doesn't change anything. We're still going to prepare as if there's a slot that we're fighting for," said SBP special assistant to the president Ryan Gregorio.
Gilas has been drawn into Group A with New Zealand, Korea, and India for the first round, with only the top three teams progressing to the next phase.
It's a chance for coach Tab Baldwin and his young pool to continue to develop chemistry as it plays against elite competition.
"I think coach Tab could attest to this, that we're really going for the win because you want to develop that winning attitude. We don't want to come in there knowing that we're ready in. We're not going to slack off a little bit. As far as we're concerned, coach Tab and I are always on the phone talking for like three hours and just covering about how to solidify our team and making sure that we have the best national team to represent our country," said Gregorio.
Gilas looks to sustain the momentum from its past performances after its 6-0 run in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers to top Group A, including big wins over Korea, as well as its promising performances against Serbia and Dominican Republic in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade.
Gilas Pilipinas
For Gregorio, it's imperative for Gilas to build on those outings.
"It was obviously a great springboard for us," he said. "With the kind of success that we experienced, especially in the last bubble in Clark, it brought us to a conversation wherein that as long as we have these talents and they're starting young and they go up against tough competitions, there is no way for them but just to get better and improve."
"For coach Tab, the important thing is the mechanism of continuity. Those players who play longer together and go up against tough opponents, we have this saying that we have our competitors because they just bring out the best in us. So what we need right now is for these players to be together for a longer period of time, making themselves available for flag and country, and that I think will answer most of the questions that we have right now, who are the players that we know will represent us well."
"You can look back at the lineup in Clark and more or less you have a core right there. But the question is, will they be available? And that is a hope right now at this point," he said.
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