By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Gilas Pilipinas already knew their fate in the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers after drawing the group stages with Korea, New Zealand, and India.
Although the Filipinos are already qualified for the main stage of the World Cup Qualifiers as the hosts of the event, program director and head coach Tab Baldwin addressed that they won’t be taking this lightly.
Seeking revenge is the mighty Korean team who got swept by a Gilas team composed of young cadets with no PBA players.
The tall and huge Indian national squad is also trying to score a win against Gilas and punch their ticket to the main draw in 2023.
Last but not the least, the Gilas boys will have the chance to bang bodies once again with the tough and physical New Zealand team.
The Filipinos are eager to perform well and bounce back from a disappointing dead-last finish among the 32 participating teams during the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.
With enough time left to recreate its roster, the Gilas coaching staff is open to the possibility of adding some available PBA players and their ex-cadets who left overseas to play as Asian imports.
The first window of the FIBA group stage will kick off this coming November while the next set of games are scheduled next year on February and June-July.
