Gilas Pilpinas. Photo from Fiba.com
After its silver medal finish in the recently-concluded Fiba Asia Championship, the Philippines improved its place to 28th best in world in the rankings released by the international governing body for basketball.
Gilas Pilipinas dislodged South Korea from the 28th spot and now ranks as the third-best country in Asia.
Gold medal winner China is at no. 14 to remain Asia’s best while dethroned champion Iran is placed at no. 17 , good for second among Asian countries.
Closely trailing the Philippines are Jordan at no. 29 and South Korea at no. 30 in the world rankings.
The PH national team gained 12 points from its runner-up finish in Changsha, China where it failed to book a ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Fiba observes the two Olympic Games cycle in computing the world rankings, with the last four continental tournaments being accounted for in determining each nation’s ranks.