Gilas Pilipinas FIBA OQT in Latvia
Gilas Pilipinas will still have a chance at qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. But the road there will not be easy as Gilas is bracketed with Georgia and host country Latvia in Group A in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga on July 2-7.
Six teams are vying for the lone pass, with Brazil, Cameroon, and Montenegro comprising Group B. The format will be a single round robin, with the top two placers of each group advancing to the semifinals, with the winners battling for the Olympic slot in the finals.
Despite the odds against our country, Coach Tim Cone is still optimistic about our chances. The Philippines was in a similar boat in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Tokyo in Belgrade, Serbia, from June 29 to July 4, 2021. Gilas Pilipinas was with the host country and the Dominican Republic in Group A. Gilas fought hard with Serbia but ultimately lost, 83-79, while it was pummeled by the Dominicans, 83-76.
Kai Sotto and Carl Tamayo are the only Gilas holdovers with Cone’s team. Dwight Ramos was unavailable due to injury. The Tab Baldwin-coached team in Belgrade had RJ Abarrientos, Isaac Go, Mike Nieto, Jordan Heading, William Navarro, SJ Belangel, Justine Baltazar, Geo Chiu, and Ange Kouame as naturalized players.
With the PBA Philippine Cup expected to end on June 19 or 21 and the Japan B-League finishing its season in late May, practices will also be tough. Gilas is set to play its first OQT game against Latvia on July 3 and then face the Dominican Republic the next day. Travel time to Riga will be factored into Gilas’ schedule, and jet lag could kick in during the OQT.
An option is for Gilas Pilipinas to take in a few days of practice at Inspire in Calamba before leaving for Latvia. “We really don’t count the number of days, we count the number of practices,” said Del Rosario. “We have two to three practices a day so in seven days, we should have at least 14 full practices. Staying in one facility and rooming in together also develop camaraderie of the team. It’s not a perfect formula but it’s the least disruptive for all the stakeholders who are lending their players.”
Del Rosario said friendlies with European teams are in the blueprint stage. There are four OQTs scheduled, and three are in Europe – Valencia, Spain; Riga, Latvia; and Piraeus, Greece. San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the fourth host. Spain, Finland, and Poland are playing in Valencia. Latvia, Georgia, and Montenegro are with Gilas in Riga. Slovenia, Croatia, and Greece will see action in Piraeus.
Lithuania and Italy will play in San Juan, so scheduling is tricky because of the travel time to Puerto Rico. Depending on their locations, the choices for friendlies could be Spain, Finland, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, and Greece. Gilas head coach Tim Cone said SBP has received invitations for friendlies in Lithuania and Slovenia, but timing is critical, given the limited period for preparation.
Since Gilas Pilipinas plays Georgia and Latvia in the OQT, Del Rosario said friendlies with European teams would reintroduce the players to the game’s physical, position-less, perimeter-offense style.
The sudden powerhouse Latvia finished fifth at the FIBA World Cup last year and would have reached the semifinals if NBA star Kristaps Porzingis had played. At last week’s FIBA EuroCup qualifiers, Latvia beat Slovakia, 64-52, and Spain, 79-75, without Porzingis and its other NBA player, 6-10 Davis Bertans of the Charlotte Hornets. Leading the charge for Latvia were 6-8 Andrejs Grazulis, 6-4 former New Orleans Pelican Dairius Bertans and 6-3 Rihards Lomazs.
Grazulis averaged 15.5 points, shooting 75 percent from three, and 5.5 rebounds in the qualifiers, while Lomazs normed 12.5 points, hitting 62.5 percent from beyond the arc and 4.5 assists. Dairius averaged 14 points in two FIBA World Cup games last year then went down with an injury. Grazulis averaged 14.4 points in the World Cup. Davis and Porzingis are both in their eighth NBA seasons.
Like Latvia, Georgia made its FIBA World Cup debut last year. Georgia wound up No. 16 with a 2-3 record, defeating Cape Verde and Venezuela while losing to Slovenia, Germany and Australia. At the recent FIBA EuroCup qualifiers, Georgia lost to Denmark, 75-69, and Serbia, 76-63. Georgia will parade 6-9 NBA veteran Toko Shengelia, 6-4 naturalized import Joe Thomasson of Wright State, and 6-3 Giorgi Ochkhikidze.
Currently, there are two Georgians playing in the NBA this season, and it’s probable that they will join the national team in Riga.
6-10 Goga Bitadze of the Orlando Magic and 6-9 Sandro Mamukelashvili of the San Antonio Spurs. Bitadze was Indiana’s first round pick in 2019 and is in his fifth NBA season while Mamukelashivili was the Pacers’ second round choice in 2021 and is in his third NBA season.
Thomasson received his Georgian passport only this year and saw action in the FIBA EuroCup qualifiers, averaging 14.5 points in two games. He has played as an import in Romania, Poland, Russia, Israel and Spain. Shengelia suited up for Brooklyn and Chicago in two NBA seasons, scoring 59 points in 45 contests. He was the Philadelphia 76ers second round pick in 2012 and has played in Spain for seven years, Belgium, Italy and Russia. Shengelia averaged 23 points and 6.5 rebounds in the recent FIBA EuroCup qualifiers.
Like other European teams, Georgia and Latvia boost bigs who can shoot from the perimeter. The European style focuses on ball movement, setting multiple picks, deploying position-less players, and hardly relying on post-ups.
Surviving the group stage will be a challenge for Gilas Pilipinas, particularly if Latvia and Georgia show up with their NBA players. But it won’t be just about winning or losing. It’ll be about getting better, stronger, and tougher for the road ahead leading to the 2028 LA Olympics.
Currently, along with Sotto, Ramos, and Tamayo, the 12-man national team pool is composed of Scottie Thompson, CJ Perez, Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, Jamie Malonzo, Kevin Quiambao, AJ Edu, Junemar Fajardo, and naturalized player Justin Brownlee.
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