PH wary of early clash with China, Iran

GILAS-Pilipinas takes the first of several strategic steps tomorrow when, as host, it can pick the lightest preliminary-round group possible in the Fiba-Asia World Basketball Qualifying tournament slated Aug. 1 to 11 at Mall of Asia Arena.

Picking 13th overall, the Filipinos can join a group that would enable them to avoid facing China and Iran in the quarterfinals and get the chance to play in the gold-medal match, assuring them a stint in the Fiba World proper slated in Madrid next year.

Coach Chot Reyes, who is in Lithuania with his Nationals, will make the choice by phone during the proceedings scheduled at Centennial Hall of Manila Hotel at 1:30 p.m.

Fiba Asia secretary general Hagop Khajirian of Lebanon and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan will preside over the proceedings. Joining them are SBP chair Oscar Moreno, vice chair Ricky Vargas and executive director Sonny Barrios.

Representatives from the region’s six zones will be grouped into four brackets with defending champion China, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei making up East Asia and Kazakhstan the lone Central Asian representative.

Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will comprise Gulf squads with the Philippines and two other countries making up the Southeast Asian teams. Iran, Lebanon and Jordan comprise West Asia while a qualifier from South Asia will still be determined.

The last time Reyes coached a national squad in the Fiba Asia, the Philippines was bracketed in the “Group of Death” together with Jordan, China and Iran, eventually failing to survive the preliminaries and finishing ninth in Tokushima, Japan.

Reyes and his crew would need to finish at least in third place here to be able to punch a ticket to the Worlds in Spain.