The tallest Gilas Pilipinas squad ever will make its debut before the hometown crowd in April.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) secured the hosting rights for the 2017 SEABA Championship, which will be held April 23 to 30, on Monday.
No less than national team coach Chot Reyes confirmed the news in a post on his Twitter account @coachot.
“We just received confirmation that SEABA has awarded the Men’s senior & U16 hosting to Manila, Apr 23-30. #LabanPilipinasPuso!”
Aside from the men’s tournament, the Philippines will also host the 2017 Seaba Under-16 Championship later this year.
Reyes announced his 24-man Gilas Pilipinas pool on Sunday as he gears toward securing the Philippines a spot in the 2019 Fiba World Cup.
The Seaba Championship is the first step in getting closer to that goal, as winning the regional tournament will earn the Filipinos a spot in the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon in August.
The Philippines has been the SEABA Champions for seven times, last winning it back in 2015 in Singapore.
The country last hosted the men’s regional tourney way back in 2001, where it topped Thailand in the Finals.