FRESH from completing its mission in the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, Gilas Pilipinas battles China today in a tune-up match at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center in Pampanga, part of its training for its Olympic qualifying bid.
Set at 4:30 p.m., the two squads are using the game as part of their preparations for their respective qualifiers.
Gilas leaves for Belgrade, Serbia tomorrow, while China, which will be bannered by former NBA player Zhou Qi, heads to Victoria, Canada on the same day.
The two teams originally planned two tune-up tiffs but had to settle for a one-game practice match due to time constraints.
Coach Tab Baldwin said the Philippines’ stint in the Tokyo Games qualifiers will only galvanize his charges.
“I think that for all the players, going up against Serbia and Dominican Republic is going to be a great experience,” Baldwin said. “It’s like going from high school to a master’s degree or maybe even a doctorate degree as we go over there and get ready to face these guys.”
Not given much of a chance against top-ranked opposition, Baldwin said the pressure to deliver is heavier on word No. 5 Serbia.
“We play with a lot of expectations here in the Philippines from our public but it’s more out of passion for success. In Serbia, there is a definitive expectation that they conduct themselves like the best basketball team in the world. And they play like that,” he said.
