THEY did it in Clark. Can Gilas Pilipinas hack it in Serbia?
The all-amateur Philippine five left yesterday for the Olympic qualifying tournament set June 29 to July 4 in Belgrade facing what is widely accepted as a mission impossible.
The team squares off with world No. 5 Serbia on July 1 and No. 19 Dominican Republic the next day at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.
Only the top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout semifinals on July 3, with the champion clinching a Tokyo Games berth.
Gilas coach Tab Baldwin yesterday named the final 12-man line-up for the qualifiers, with 7-foot-3 center Kai Sotto, naturalized player Ange Kouame, and Dwight Ramos leading the squad.
Completing the team were skipper Isaac Go, SJ Belangel, Jordan Heading, Geo Chu, Mike Nieto, William Navarro, Justine Baltazar, RJ Abarrientos, and Carl Tamayo. Left at home were Javi Gomez de Liaño, Jaydee Tungcab, and LeBron Lopez.
The nationals proved untouchable in the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers with a perfect 6-0 record to book a spot in the Asia Cup in August in Indonesia.
Clinching that coveted lone slot in the Tokyo Olympic Games next month is a tall task, with Gilas not given much chance against world-ranked opposition.
Gilas battled China to a 79-all standoff in a tune-up match last Wednesday behind closed doors at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center in Pampanga.
Sotto led Gilas with 13 points, 11 of them coming in the second quarter, while Kouame and Heading chipped in 12 markers apiece. Abarrientos scored nine points, while Belangel and Baltazar also had eight each for Gilas.
Ramos (groin) and Tamayo (ankle sprain) sat out the game.
Baldwin was pleased with how his charges held their ground against the Chinese.
“It’s an interesting game. I think we found the balance by the tied score. I was pleased with the way the guys responded. It’s a really high-energy game. China tried to play very physical basketball and they really pushed us to the limit. They got off to a good start. And again, we just showed that fighting spirit and found ways, came back and China looked very good out there,” Baldwin was quoted by online sports website http://Spin.ph.
