THREE months since re-asserting its mastery over Southeast Asia, Gilas Pilipinas Youth is out to make sure of its continued contention in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2025.
The Philippine national under-16 team coached by LA Tenorio is already in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the continental meet running from Aug. 31 to Sep. 7.
The top four finishers in the Asia Cup will qualify for the FIBA U17 World Cup - a feat the Filipinos have accomplished two of the last three times.
The most recent qualifiers were led by young tantalizing talent Kieffer Alas, who is now showcasing his skills in the U.S.
READ: Kieffer Alas bound for Utah after Perth to pursue US dreams
Gilas Youth, No. 35 in the world, finds itself in Group B alongside 15th-ranked New Zealand, 51st-ranked Chinese Taipei, and 89th-ranked Indonesia.
Last May, the Philippines stamped its class on Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore in the 2025 SEABA U16 Championship played at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in Pampanga.
Even without Alas, a former UAAP boys basketball MVP, the host country unholstered several new weapons in the likes of Gab Delos Reyes, Andwele Cabañero, and Jhustin Hallare.
That championship made sure Filipinos would be represented in the U16 Asia Cup for the eighth time in a row.
While Gilas Youth has been a consistent contender in the Asia Cup, however, it has yet to win it all. Even more, the last time it made it to the finals was in 2013, when Mike Nieto, Richard Escoto, and Renzo Navarro were still playing for the national team then known as Batang Gilas.
The Philippines commences its campaign opposite Chinese Taipei on Sunday (Philippine time).
Delos Reyes (6-foot-3), Cabañero (5-11), and Hallare (6-0) will still show the way, together with Jolo Pascual (6-1), Everaigne Cruz (6-1), Travis Pascual (5-11), Ethan Tan-Chi (5-10), John Restificar (6-3), Jhello Lumague (6-3), Prince Cariño (6-7), and Jeremiah Antolin (6-6).
As part of their preparations, the Filipinos went to Korea for a training camp before heading to Mongolia.
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