Which country poses the biggest threat to the Philippines in the SEABA games?

FROM May 12 to 18, the Philippines will host the 2017 Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) Championship. The winner of the tournament will take the lone Southeast Asian slot to the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. With so much at stake, the competition is expected to be heated between the seven squads (including the home team, Gilas Pilipinas) all gunning for the golden ticket to the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup that will be held in Lebanon this August. Here's a rundown of the teams, including the Philippines, participating in the 2017 SEABA Championship.

Who do you think poses the biggest threat to the Philippine gunners?

Myanmar

The Myanmar team is full of new names to Southeast Asian basketball. Based on the roster, they will be fielding undersized and inexperienced players compared to the other teams in the tourney. The game against Myanmar will be a good opportunity for Gilas first-timers to get their feet wet in an international basketball tournament.

Vietnam

Vietnam basketball is developing with the establishment of their professional league last year. That’s also the best way to describe the team playing in the tournament: developing. There is talent on the roster given that all their players are playing professionally in different leagues. But Vietnam is still far from the top tier of Southeast Asian basketball.

Malaysia

This Malaysian is trotting out a line-up full of new names, which means the heavy lifting will be done by their three professional players: Choo Wei Hong, Teo Kok Hou, and Ting Chun Hong. The Malaysians are opting to use this tournament to develop their younger talents for future international competitions.

Singapore

The core of this Singaporean Team is composed of players who suited up for the Singapore Slingers. Wong Wei Long is a dangerous scorer that can score points in bunches. Delvin Goh will use every inch of his 6’7” frame and will go into battle in the paint. The Philippine Team can’t overlook this team. If the Singaporeans play hard and smart, they can catch Gilas off-guard.

Thailand

The Thailand National Team has developed into a Southeast Asian powerhouse. They almost beat the Gilas Cadets in the SEABA Stankovic Cup last year. The Thais like to force contested outside shots and use the misses to fuel their running game. Their Thai-American players are not part of this team, but they have enough talent on the roster to challenge for the top spot in the tournament.

Indonesia

The Indonesians are the biggest threat to Gilas. They have a multi-faceted naturalized player in Jamarr Johnson who is a nightmare for opponents with his versatile game. Supporting Johnson are Indonesian-Americans Mario Wuysang and Arki Wisnu. Both are solid guards who can score and set-up the rest of the team. Indonesia is a physical team that will play a slow, grinding style.

Philippines

This is the strongest Philippine Team in the past two years. The frontline is imposing with both Andray Blatche and June Mar Fajardo manning the paint. Surrounding these two big men will be versatile forwards and several shooters. Leading the team will be Jayson Castro and Calvin Abueva. Both will bring a veteran presence to this young, talented team. Gilas has a well-balanced line-up with a good mix of size, speed and shooting.

Catch Gilas Pilipinas as they go for gold against their Southeast Asian rivals from May 12 to 18 only on TV5! All Gilas games are live on TV5, and all SEABA games can be streamed live on www.sports5.ph/live.

SEABA will also feature the first multi-cam with 360-degree coverage locally, in partnership with Team V, powered by Sports5. View it on Smart 360 and support Gilas like never before: http://360.smart.com.ph/seaba.

All photos courtesy of Sports 5.