The games will begin next year.
Gilas Pilipinas still has a lot on its plate at the moment. The Asian Games' basketball tourney is about to begin, and the national team is still scrambling to put together a final lineup. That being said, the Filipino hoopers aren’t backing down and will put up a fight no matter what.
Well, Gilas must keep that same energy going even after the conclusion of its Asiad stint. In fact, there’s no time to relax. On Tuesday, the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers Draw was held in Doha, Qatar with Gilas icon Gabe Norwood and Iranian hoops legend Hamed Haddadi as special guests.
Here are the results of the groupings:
Philippines is in Group B with number 1 seed New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, and Hong Kong. Obviously, Gilas’ toughest opponent in the group would be the Tall Blacks. Still, there’s pressure on the Philippine team to handle its business against the other two squads.
With FIBA’s latest announcement, it would be wise for every team involved, including Gilas, to have the necessary sense of urgency while preparing for this qualifying tournament. The competition in Asian basketball has dramatically improved over the years. A minor slip could very well end up as a major letdown.
The FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers will be played across three windows, which will take place on February 2024, November 2024, and February 2025. Without a doubt, each and every participant is dead set on making it to the region's flagship men’s national team competition.
(CF)