WHILE Gilas Filipinas coach Tab Baldwin is thrilled with home-court advantage, the coach is wary of the other five teams they are expected to meet in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in July.
Baldwin expressed that sentiment following the announcement by the Executive Committee of FIBA that the Philippines, Italy and Serbia would be host nations for the six-team OQTs.
“The only thing that the announcement affords us is the home-court advantage and I think that’s a plus. We will be playing in front of the home fans. The other side of it is that the teams that will be coming over like the Europeans and American teams, they’re very seasoned, veteran teams. They play in front of big crowds and big moments. I don’t think it will be a big negative for them, but it will be big positive for us,” Baldwin said.
But FIBA noted the Philippines ‘’will certainly not fear any opponent. They rode the home backing in Manila to a second-place finish at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship
and then had a stronger side push teams that are higher in the FIBA World Ranking Men in very close games at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.”
The Philippines did well against Croatia, Argentina, Greece and Puerto Rico in Group B in Seville before defeating Senegal.
Gilas then travelled to the Far East in 2015 and reached the Final of the FIBA Asia Championship before falling to China. The Filipinos came up short of their aim but at least earned a spot in an OQT.
The draws for the three OQTs and the Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will be staged in Nantes, France, will take place at The House of Basketball in Mies, Switzerland, FIBA’s headquarters, on Jan. 26.
Baldwin is respectful of the teams his Gilas squad will face, but can at least know that an entire nation will be behind him when his players run onto the floor to face any opponent.
“It can only help the team that we don’t have to live out of our comfort zone.We don’t have to travel so much. We will be playing in front of our home crowd. We will be in our comfort area. All these things will be an advantage for us, things that the other countries have to adjust to,” Baldwin said.
The president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, businessman-sportsman Manny Pangilinan who has invested huge resources in pro,oting
Philippine basketball and elevating the national team to the world stage told us before he left for San Francisco on Wednesday that he would talk to
coach Baldwin to make sure that naturalized NBA player Andray Blatche would be in top condition while he willursue efforts to have Jordam Clarkson
, the Lakers emerging Fil-Am star fulfill his despire to play for the Philippines in the qualifiers and help Gilas gain a berth at the Rio Olympic Games.