Going deeper and high up in the rankings of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers will be the goal of Gilas Pilipinas.
“A win is difficult. We are not thinking of 2-0. We’re thinking of getting Taipei first,” said national coach Chot Reyes.
Gilas Pilipinas will meet together for the first time as a team when they go to Taipei on June 25, some four days before their June 29 game.
The team, which will play minus suspended Kiefer Ravena, will be going for their fourth win in five matches. Ravena tested positive for three banned substances during the first two games of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
A win will solidify Gilas’ hold on the second qualifying slot in the second round with Australia in Group B. It will also allow them to move up in the rankings for a better seeding in the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers next year.
“That’s going to improve our standings and our chances of going deeper into the qualifiers,” added Reyes, who admitted that Gilas has been a complete team since they lost to Australia, 68-84.
Reyes expects the team to get serious training once they start preparing for Taipei by next week.
China and New Zealand are also qualified for the second round in Group A, along with Jordan and Lebanon in Group C, Iran and Kazakhstan in Group D.
The Philippines is bunched in Group F in the second round with Iran and Kazakhstan and possibly Japan and Qatar.
