THE PHILIPPINES’ Andray Blatche (left) will lead the Gilas charge. AFP
GILAS Pilipinas is in Group B of the Fiba World Cup along with Argentina, Puerto Rico, Greece, Croatia and Senegal. Before they go to battle, let’s take a closer look at the Filipinos’ opponents.
ARGENTINA—Ranked third by Fiba in the world, Argentina will be missing the services of superstar Manu Ginobili due to a foot injury. Despite this, head coach Julio Lamas will still have a solid squad spearheaded by the 2004 Olympics gold medalists Luis Scola of the Indiana Pacers, Andres Nocioni, Leonardo Gutierrez and Walter Hermann.
GREECE—With a mix of veterans and youngsters, Greece finished 11th in the 2013 Fiba EuroBasket, but earned a spot in the World Cup via the wild card. Despite a miserable showing in the EuroBasket, the Greeks shouldn’t be taken lightly. Head coach Fotis Katsikaris will rely on budding NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo to lead them along with Nick Calathes and Kostas Papanikalou.
CROATIA—Ranked 16th by Fiba, the Croatians made their way to Spain by placing fourth in the 2013 Fiba EuroBasket. The Croatian national team will parade European superstar Dario Saric, a 20-year old, 6-foot-10 swingman who was picked 12th by the Orlando Magic in the 2014 NBA Rookie Draft. Aside from Saric, head coach Jasmin Repesa will also have 7-2 center Ante Tomic, 2013 Greek Cup MVP Roko Ukic and Brooklyn Nets forward Bojan Bogdanovic.
PUERTO RICO—Puerto Rico is one of the teams that can shock the world in the Fiba World Cup. Ranked 17th in the world, Puerto Rico stormed its way to Spain when it finished second in the 2013 Fiba Americas, losing to Mexico in a thrilling gold medal game. Looking to prove that they are still one of the best teams in the world, Puerto Rico, coached by Paco Olmos, will have Minnesotta Timberwolves point guard Jose Juan Barea leading the show. They will also pin their hopes on NBA veteran Carlos Arroyo and former Petron Blaze Boosters import Renaldo Balkman, who was banned in the PBA after choking teammate Arwind Santos.
SENEGAL—They may be the lowest ranked team in their bracket but Senegal shouldn’t be overlooked. With Cheik Sarr calling the shots at the sidelines, Senegal will be spearheaded by NBA youngster Gorgui Dieng who is playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dieng will be joined by Sacramento Kings reserve center Hamady N’Diaye and former Toronto Raptor Pape Sow in their quest for glory.