Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
The journey of Gilas Pilipinas to the Olympics will be anything but easy.
And the men’s basketball team will be making its first step with the country’s hosting of the Seaba Championship for Men.
“The general plan was already outlined. But basically we’re not thinking about it yet because we want to focus our full attention on Seaba,” said Gilas head coach Chot Reyes during Tuesday’s press launch at the Holiday Inn Manila Galleria.
The Gilas core of PBA stars should top the seven-country tournament on May 12 to 18 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to advance to the Fiba Asia Cup on Aug. 10 to 20 in Beirut.
“It will not mean anything unless we win Seaba. With the format, it’s impossible for one team to play bad,” said Reyes, who is eyeing a return trip to the world stage and a slot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The dynamic coach brought the Philippines to the 2014 Fiba World Championship in Spain after a four-decade absence.
Reyes said Gilas assistant coach Jong Uichico had scouted all the teams and Thailand and Indonesia could give Gilas the most headaches due to the presence of foreign players in their lineups.