Tough road for majority of Fiba Asia qualifiers

NOT THAT Gilas-Pilipinas wouldn’t have made it, but the Filipinos enjoyed the luxury of making it outright to the Fiba Asia Championship as host of the Aug. 1 to 11 event at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

Team Philippines didn’t go through a qualifier like all the other countries in the 16-team field of the event that will stake three slots to the World Championship in Spain next year.

Even superpowers China, South Korea and Iran had to scrape through regional qualifiers.

Thailand and Malaysia completed the Southeast Asian cast after finishing 1-2 in the Seaba tournament which the Filipinos had ruled even with a team of collegiate standouts.

The last time the Philippines sent an all-pro team to the Seaba was in Indonesia in 2009 with the Powerade crew coached by Yeng Guiao overwhelming opponents.

China and the Koreans came through in the toughest qualifier, the East Asian Championship two years ago in Wuhan, China, where Korea posted a 76-69 victory to top the event.

Japan, the third placer, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei were the others who advanced from that tournament by bagging the next three places.

Iran, which made the 2008 Olympics, were taken into overtime by Lebanon in the championship game of the West Asian Championship last Feb. 9 in Tehran before prevailing, 100-86.

China, Iran and South Korea are bunched together in Group B this time in what has been called the “Group of Death.”

Kazakhstan thumped Uzbekistan, 80-60, in the championship game of the Central Asian qualifier last May 7 to make the Manila event.

Bahrain’s capital city was the site of the 13th Gulf Championship, where the top three teams advanced to Manila.

Qatar became the lead qualifier by ruling the 13th Gulf Championship last October, with Saudi Arabia also going through with wins over the United Arab Emirates and also-ran Oman.