The Philippines’ national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, has set its sights on the Paris Olympics after failing to make it past the FIBA World Cup 2023 group stage.
The team ended the tournament with a 0-3 record after losing to Italy, Serbia, and Australia. Nevertheless, they can still qualify for the Olympics by winning both classification round matches against South Sudan and China.
Jordan Clarkson, who led Gilas Pilipinas with 23 points against Italy, is confident that the team can achieve its goal.
“We’re not giving up,” Clarkson said. “We’re going to keep fighting, and we’re going to try to get to the Olympics.”
Coach Chot Reyes echoed Clarkson’s sentiments, saying that the team is still motivated despite the disappointment of the World Cup.
“We’re not going to let this loss define us,” Reyes said. “We’re going to keep working hard, and we’re going to give everything we have in the classification round.”
The Philippines is one of three Asian teams still in contention for an Olympic berth. The other two teams are Japan and China.
The classification round games will be played in September. The top two teams in each group will advance to the Olympics.
Gilas Pilipinas must be at its best to achieve its dream of playing in the Olympics. However, the team has shown that it can beat the top competition, and it will be a tough team to beat in the classification round.
The Philippines’ Olympic dreams are still alive, and Gilas Pilipinas is determined to make them a reality.
