GILAS Pilipinas begins its FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament campaign when it takes on host Latvia at the Arena Riga on Wednesday, 7 p.m. local time (Thursday 12 midnight Philippine standard time).
Gilas will be facing great odds in its debut, playing before a hostile packed coliseum in Riga against a home team that destroyed Georgia, 83-55, in its debut behind Artus Strautins, who scored 18 points while going a perfect 4-of-4 from threes.
Gilas has to match Latvia's energy
The team of coach Tim Cone will be focusing on defense while hoping to match the explosive offense that Latvia possesses, wary of the hosts' firepower and depth.
“Latvia just showcased their firepower and depth of their lineup in the game against Georgia,” said Gilas Pilipinas team manager Richard Del Rosario in an online interview. “Key for our game is to match their energy on both offense and defense."
Also providing a spark for Latvia were Mareks Mejeris and Rolands Smits, who combined for 21 points and 14 rebounds.
READ Latvia routs Georgia ahead of match vs Gilas
NBA player Davis Bertans and Arturs Zagars, who was part of the All-FIBA World Cup Second Team, didn't even need to play long minutes.
Bertans chipped in nine points, all on threes, and Zagars adding eight points and six assists for the host coached by Luca Banchi, named Best Coach in last year's 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila.
The Gilas coaching staff and players were on hand at the Arena Riga to see for themselves what they are up against.
It was daunting.
“Latvia does a lot of moving off the ball so we have to be ready to keep in step. They also use their length to cover a large area defensively so we have to move the ball quick and force them to make mistakes,” said Del Rosario.
Gilas hopes for a respectable showing against Latvia following a 1-2 win-loss record in their friendly matches, its lone win coming against the Taiwan Mustangs prior to leaving for Europe.
Gilas lost friendlies to Turkey, 84-73, and Poland, 82-80, but were competitive both times, thanks to strong play by Justin Brownlee and Dwight Ramos.
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