GILAS Pilipinas has only met Serbia once before in a Fiba-sanctioned tournament.
Yes, it was in the Philippines' nightmarish campaign in the 2019 Fiba World Cup where the Filipinos got steamrolled by Nikola Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Boban Marjanovic in the group stages to take the 59-point beatdown, 126-67, in China.
And with the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade set to unfold, all Filipino fans are hoping for is for our youthful team to defy expectations and at least compete against the world no. 5.
It's a tall mountain to climb, all the more with the Serbians having the homecourt advantage in Belgrade.
However, if this Gilas pool needs to find an inspiration, it could look back on how the RP team in the 1978 Fiba World Championship fought here in Manila.
The Philippines, serving as hosts for the global hoops conclave, was already directly qualified for the eight-team, round robin semifinal round.
And the team's first assignment? Yugoslavia, then considered as one of the top nations in basketball.
Serbia was then a state of Yugoslavia and represented the country as such until 2003, and the game turned out to be the only time the two teams crossed paths in a Fiba-sanctioned tournament.
Philippines-Yugoslavia in 1978 Fiba World Championship
The Nic Jorge-mentored RP Team bravely came to the Rizal Memorial Stadium on October 6, 1978 and stood toe-to-toe against the taller Yugoslavs to keep in step and only fall behind by nine, 54-45, at halftime.
Ramon Cruz, Steve Watson, and Alex Clarino continued to stage the valiant fight, but eventually, Yugoslavia took the 117-101 victory over the Philippines behind eventual Tournament MVP Drazen Dalipagic's 31 points.
Cruz matched that 31-point output for the Philippines while also gaining solid support from Watson's 20 and Clarino's 16.
Padim Isreal, posing with wife Rio Locsin, was a member of that 1978 RP team.
Also part of that Philippine team were Bernardo Carpio, Leopoldo Herrera, Padim Israel, Nathaniel Castro, Gregorio Gozum, and Cesar Yabut, while Edward Merced, Federico Lauchengco, and Cesar Teodoro did not play in the affair.
Meanwhile, Yugoslavia also got solid contributions from Ratko Radovanovic who scored 20, Mirza Delibasic who got 17 points, and Dujam Krstulovic's 15 en route to a 10-game sweep to capture the gold medal.
The 16-point defeat to the Yugoslavs turned out to be the second closest outcome for the Filipinos in that tourney.
In the ensuing contests, the Philippines lost to eventual silver medalists Soviet Union, 110-63, behind Sergei Belov; a 119-72 defeat to Oscar Schmidt and bronze medalists Brazil; a 112-75 loss to Dino Meneghin's Italy; a 97-52 thumping courtesy of Phil Smyth and Australia; a close 11-point loss to Leo Rautins' Canada, 99-88; and a 30-point mugging, 100-70, at the hands of USA, then bannered by Irvin Kiffin, Tim Hall, and Eugene Parker.
The RP Team suffered another 92-74 defeat to Australia in the battle for seventh place as it failed to log a single win in eight matches at home.
Cruz finished as the top performer for the Filipinos with his 16.8 point average, followed by Watson (11.2 points) and Carpio (10.4).
Still, the game against Yugoslavia showed how the Philippines can hang with some of the best teams the world.
Consider this: that Yugoslav team didn't just have Dalipagic, it also featured legends such as Dragan Kicanovic and Kresimir Cosic, who were later named to the All-Tournament Five, and another Fiba Hall of Famer in Zoran Slavnic, while also being coached by the great Aleksandar Nikolic, who many consider as the Father of Yugoslav Basketball.
That's why it's a good piece of history to look back to, all the more with the Philippines still trying to recapture its status as one of the best nations in the world in terms of basketball.
But if there's a team which could string up an impressive performance and, who knows, a miracle, it's definitely this Tab Baldwin-mentored Gilas group.
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