GUANGZHOU, China – Gilas Pilipinas is hoping that a change of scenery can lead to positive results as it tries to keep its slim Olympic hopes alive against Tunisia in the start of the FIBA World Cup classification round at the Wukesong Arena in Beijing on Friday.
After forgettable stint in Foshan where they suffered lopsided losses to Italy and Serbia coupled with a heartbreaking overtime defeat to Angola, the Filipino cagers head to the Chinese capital with a goal of sweeping the two games beginning with the Tunisia face-off at 8 p.m.
Coach Yeng Guiao’s team concludes its World Cup stint on Sunday against Asian rival Iran.
Gilas must win both games and hope that other Asian teams like host China, South Korea, Iran and Jordan fail get the results in their classification round games to claim the Tokyo Olympics berth given to the best-ranked Asian team after the tournament.
Of all five teams in the continent, only China has produced a win, thus having an inside track at the Olympics.
China fell short of making the second round after dropping its final two assignments in Group A against Poland and Venezuela.
“That’s very much part of the motivation,” Guiao said. “Whichever possibility is achievable, we’ll go for it. Especially now the guys have already feeling comfortable playing in this stage.”
But if China gets the berth, Gilas also has the option of gaining a slot in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament which is given to the 16 best teams that failed to make a direct ticket to Tokyo.
Which is why shrugging off the disappointment of Foshan is a must for Gilas if it wants to get whatever consolation it can get.
“It’s still there, kinda blurry. Picture’s still there. We just have to find a way to make it clearer,” said Kiefer Ravena, who battled tears after Wednesday’s 84-81 overtime loss to Angola.
Tunisia and Iran are expected to play tough customers against Gilas with the way they performed in this city despite failing to make the next stage.
Both teams lost to Puerto Rico by slim margins while Iran made it tough on Spain in the final Group C match Wednesday before falling 73-65.
