Yeng Guiao coaches Gilas Pilipinas. Photo from Fiba.basketball
It may not exactly be the “Group of Death,” but Gilas Pilipinas still fell into a very tough group that had coach Yeng Guiao describing his boys as “the overwhelming underdogs.”
Team Philippines fell into Group D together with Angola, Italy and 2014 World Cup runner-up Serbia after glitzy proceedings held Saturday night in Shenzhen, China.
READ: 2019 Fiba World Cup: Philippines joins Serbia, Italy, Angola in Group D
“We are the overwhelming underdogs against any of those teams,” Guiao said over the phone. “But we won’t go there just to participate. We will give a good account of ourselves.”
Team USA, which is trying to become the first side to win the World Cup three straight times, is in Group E and is listed as the favorite to triumph.
Top Asian team Australia is in Group F together with Canada, Senegal and Lithuania. The World Cup starts Aug. 31 and will be played in eight cities in China until Sept. 15.