Gilas Pilipinas is returning to the hardwood as it plunges into action in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers later in November.

Here are some fast facts about the Philippines’ campaign:

Future-proofing

Gilas Pilipinas has put a premium on building for the future by infusing young blood into its pool for the qualifiers.

In the first window, Thirdy Ravena – then still an amateur – showed the way for the Philippines with 23 points and 8 rebounds in a 30-point thwarting of Indonesia.

Collegiate standouts Juan Gomez de Liaño and Dwight Ramos also saw action alongside Gilas Pilipinas special draftees Isaac Go and Matt Nieto.

The national team is following the same blueprint for the second window, this time by not including PBA players and tapping the services of other amateur stalwarts.

Among the new additions are Calvin Oftana, Kemark Cariño, Justine Baltazar, and Dave Ildefonso.

Gilas Pilipinas also included Ivorian big man Angelo Kouame, who is seen to be the Philippines’ naturalized player of the future as he seeks to become a Filipino citizen.

Must Read

Kouame, Paras lead young Gilas Pilipinas pool

Pandemic-hit

FIBA initially intended the qualifiers to have a home-and-away format.

Gilas Pilipinas flew to Jakarta in February to kick off its qualifiers campaign against Indonesia.

However, the pandemic not only forced FIBA to postpone games, but also to hold the tournament in a bubble setting, with the Philippines and its fellow Group A teams all playing in Manama, Bahrain, for the second window.

Gilas Pilipinas will play two games against Thailand in Bahrain after their supposed first meeting in February got postponed due to virus concerns.

Also affected by the pandemic is Group A leader South Korea, which pulled out from the second window, citing health issues.

South Korea had a second-window game slated against Gilas Pilipinas, but that match might be rescheduled or forfeited following the withdrawal.

Best in Asia

A total of 24 teams are competing in the qualifiers – which is spread across 3 windows – but only 16 will reach the FIBA Asia Cup.

The top two teams from each of the 6 groups will directly qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup, while the 4 best third-place teams to be determined in another set of qualifiers will complete the tournament cast.

Gilas Pilipinas is favored to qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup as it got bunched with Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia in Group A.

So far, the Philippines carries a 1-0 card, just behind Korea, which boasts of a 2-0 slate. Thailand and Indonesia, meanwhile, are winless with 0-1 and 0-2 records, respectively.

While beating Korea has always been a tall order, the Philippines historically has the edge over Indonesia and Thailand.

In the FIBA Asia Cup, formerly called the FIBA Asia Championship, Gilas Pilipinas looks to make a splash after finishing at 7th place in the previous edition in 2017.

The Philippines last ruled the tournament in 1985, settling for runner-up finishes in the 2013 and 2015 editions. – Rappler.com