GILAS Pilipinas faces quality competition right from the get-go, but among its opponents in the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup group stage, Angola presents the best chance for the Filipino dribblers to grab a win and a chance to reach the second round.
While Italy is the 10th-best team in the world and Dominican Republic at 23rd, Angola is one of the few countries ranked below the 40th-ranked Philippines in this World Cup, lurking one spot behind according to the latest Fiba rankings last February.
READ: Crucial Gilas roster decisions as Scottie, Dwight deal with injuries
But make no mistake. The Angolans are no pushovers and are expected to turn to their size advantage once again to improve on their 27th-place finish in the 2019 edition in China.
Releasing a 23-man pool in May and coached by Spaniard Josep Claros, Angola could field a towering lineup featuring one current NBA player.
Let’s do our Gilas Pilipinas a favor with some scouting work ahead of their faceoff on August 27 at the Big Dome.
Check out what the Angola Starting 5 in 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup could look like:
SF – Milton Valente
With Angola’s surplus of big men, Valente is one of the few who the African country can put in the small-forward spot.
A 6-foot-6 wingman who plays for local side Primeiro de Agosto, Valente showed he can put numbers across the board, albeit in a small sample size in the qualifiers.
In three games in the qualifiers, the 24-year-old Valente put up seven points on 50-percent shooting from the field, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 steal, and 0.7 block in 21.1 minutes.
C - Jilson Bango
Bango is Angola’s most promising young big man.
The 6-foot-10 center is only 24 and has gained experience playing for German league side Basketball Lowen Braunschweig.
Bango averaged 9.7 points on 59.4% shooting, 8.1 boards, 1.2 steals, 1.1 assists, and 0.6 block in 22.6 minutes over nine games in the qualifiers.
Angola also has veteran Teotonio Do in the depth chart.
SG – Gerson Goncalves
The 6-foot-4 Goncalves is a solid two-way player for the Angolans.
A 27-year-old shooting guard who plays for local team Petro de Luanda, Goncalves averaged 10.3 points, two treys, three rebounds, 2.8 assists, and two steals in a team-high 25.6 minutes in the qualifiers.
Goncalves also underlined his commitment to the national team, being one of only four Angolans who played in all 12 games in the qualifiers.
PG - Childe Dundao
Dundao holds the keys to Angola’s offense and stands at the forefront of the country’s pesky perimeter defense.
Standing 5’6”, the Petro de Luanda playmaker still stood tallest for the Angolans by leading his country in scoring, assists, and steals in the qualifiers.
The 25-year-old point guard averaged 12.1 points, 1.5 triples, 3.6 assists, 3.3 steals, and 3.1 rebounds in 23.1 minutes over 12 games.
Dundao has a solid reliever in Gerson Domingos, who also played in all 12 qualifying games.
PF – Bruno Fernando
Gilas’ defense is expected to zero in on the Atlanta Hawks big man.
The 6-foot-9 power forward averaged 3.9 points on 52.7% shooting, 3.5 boards, 0.9 block, and 0.8 assist in just 10.4 minutes over 39 games with Houston and Atlanta in the last NBA season.
So imagine what he can do with more playing time.
Turning 26 days before the World Cup on August 15, Fernando showed flashes of being a stretch big man in the international level, putting up 11.3 points, one three-pointer, 6.3 boards, 1.7 assists, and one block in 23.8 minutes in three games in the qualifiers.
Aboubakar Gakou could be the first big man to come off the bench after leading Angola in rebounds with nine in three games in the qualifying stage.
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