Gilas Pilipinas arrives in Greece for Europe camp

Photo taken from Josh Reyes’ Instagram account.

The Philippine men’s national basketball team on Saturday (Manila time) arrived in Athens, Greece to begin the most crucial part of its buildup for the Fiba Olympic qualifying tournament.

Gilas Pilipinas, which left Manila Friday night, will hold a 10-day training camp in Karpenisi, a town in central Greece about a three and a half hour drive from the Greek capital Athens.

“Touchdown Athens,” Gilas assistant coach Josh Reyes posted on his Twitter account.

From Greece, Gilas will continue its camp in Istanbul, Turkey where the team will play the Turkish national team in a tune-up game.

The last stop of Gilas’ European trip is in Bologna, Italy where the Nationals will take part in a four-nation pocket tournament against the hosts, China and Canada.

Canada remains one of the favorites to win the Manila qualifiers slated on July 5 despite the decision of its star Andrew Wiggins to skip the tournament.

Gilas is expected to return home on June 28. The team opens its bid for a slot in the Rio Olympics against heavyweight France.