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SBP to send solid Gilas for Olympic qualifiers

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The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) will work with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) to send the best Gilas Pilipinas team possible for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Belgrade, Serbia.

Gilas Pilipinas team captain Kiefer Ravena passes the ball during the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. FIBA PHOTO

“Whenever we compete in international tournaments, we always aim to send the best team possible to make our Filipino fans proud,” said SBP president Al Panlilio in a statement Friday night.

“We will be coordinating with the PBA to plot our plans moving forward, and we’re hopeful that Kouame’s naturalization will be signed into law by then to give Gilas that added boost.”

On February 24, the Senate’s Committee on Justice approved on first reading the Senate Bill 1892, which seeks to grant Filipino citizenship to Ateneo big man Ange Kouame, who hails from Ivory Coast.

The bill needs to hurdle three more readings before President Rodrigo Duterte approves or disapproves it.

The other challenge the SBP and the PBA need to hurdle is the struggle of the latter in lending its players since the OQT schedule will coincide with the 46th Philippine Cup, eyed to begin in April and likely to run for three months.

The OQT is slated on June 29 to July 4.

SBP, though, may use the 2019 PBA-Gilas draftees Rey Suerte, Allyn Bulanadi, Isaac Go, and the Nieto brothers Mike and Matt, as well as this year’s would-be Gilas draftees Will Navarro, Jordan Heading, Tzaddy Rangel and Jaydee Tungcab as the foundation of the Gilas OQT pool.

Gilas earned a slot in the OQT after New Zealand withdrew from the competition “due to the spike in the number of high performance events and the costs of sending teams abroad.”

FIBA replaced the world No. 25 Tall Blacks with the Philippines since the latter, outside the already OQT qualified China and South Korea, is the next best team in the Asia-Oceania region at 31st in the world.

The Philippines is slotted in Group A and is set to face powerhouse teams Dominican Republic, ranked 19th in the world, and Serbia, ranked fifth.

Serbia dealt Gilas a 127-67 beatdown in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Gilas needs to win at least one game in the group phase to advance to the crossover knockout semifinals against Group B teams Puerto Rico, Italy and Senegal.

The champion of this OQT will make the Tokyo Olympics in July.

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