Gilas U18 boys battle Indonesia in Amman, Jordan
AND the journey to the FIBA U19 World Cup starts Monday.
In a bid to follow the steps of their senior and sibling squads, Gilas Pilipinas youth ushers in its campaign in the FIBA Under 18 (U18) Asia Cup against rival Indonesia Monday at the As Salt Arena Complex in Amman, Jordan.
Game time is at 9:30 p.m. (Monday Manila time) with the Filipino boys, ranked No. 25 in the world, eyeing a flying start against No. 73 Indonesia in Group D that also features No. 27 New Zealand and No. 51 Jordan.
The Philippines takes on Jordan next on early Wednesday before wrapping up pool campaign versus New Zealand late Wednesday evening, both Manila times.
Gilas has to finish first in the group to clinch an outright quarterfinal ticket that would shore up its bid to qualify in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland, where only the Top 4 from Asia will advance.
At home, Gilas men last year participated in the 2023 FIBA World Cup for the third straight edition as Gilas U16 snapped a 5-year drought to make it back to the FIBA U17 World Cup held this year in Turkey.
This time, the wards of coach Josh Reyes are brimming with confidence they can follow suit especially with star guard Andy Gemao leading the way.
A former Letran Squire in the NCAA, Mr. Gemao towed the Nationals to a 3-0 sweep of the SEABA Qualifiers in Kuala Lumpur to barge into the Asian championship as one of the teams to beat.
With Mr. Gemao at helm, Gilas pummeled its Southeast Asian neighbors with an average winning margin of 27.3 points after blowout wins against Indonesia, 87-64, host Malaysia, 97-71, and Thailand, 87-54.
Gilas is a heavy favorite to score a repeat win against Indonesia today in preparation for expected tough duels against the hosts and New Zealand.
If Gilas fails to finish atop of Group D, it will still have a chance in the qualification featuring second and third-ranked squads as the bottom squad gets the boot. — John Bryan Ulanday