– 10 months ago
Gilas will reconvene after the PBA Finals on Wednesday, April 26, at the Meralco Gym in Pasig City. | Dennison Ray A. Dalpan/PDI
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Philippines immediately jumps into action when the Southeast Asian Games basketball competition begins.
Gilas Pilipinas, flagged by naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee, will begin their showcase against Malaysia on May 9 at Molodok Techo in Phnom Penh.
According to the schedule released by the Cambodian Basketball Federation, the Nationals will then play the host nation before finishing off their Group A game against Singapore.
The top two will advance to the Crossover Semi-Finals, set for May 15th.
This year’s competition has a different format than the traditional round robin used in previous competitions.
The Philippines’ group looks less difficult compared to Group B, which includes champion Indonesia and regulars Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
But national coach Chot Reyes said making it through the group stage would only mean Gilas would be guaranteed to face dangerous opponents in the knockout stages.
“Sure, you’re in the weaker group. But it comes down to drawing certain opponents in crossovers,” he told the Inquirer.
“So there’s no real advantage there. It just ensures that we play against a strong opponent.”
The Philippines is trying to regain the basketball gold medal it has held for 33 years since losing to Indonesia at last year’s Hanoi Games.
Related article
