Gilas Pilipinas grouped with Angola, Dominican Republic, Italy in Fiba World Cup

Former NBA players Luis Scola and Dirk Nowitzki at the Fiba World Cup draw at Smart Araneta Coliseum. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–The Philippines, which co-hosts the Fiba Basketball World Cup 2023 this coming August, will be playing against Angola, the Dominican Republic, and Italy in the group phase of the basketball showcase beginning Aug. 25.

Defending champion and current World No. 1 Spain, meanwhile, is drawn with Iran, Ivory Coast and Brazil in Group G which will play in Jakarta, Indonesia.

United States, which will likely banner standouts from the National Basketball Association (NBA), will tackle Jordan, Greece and New Zealand in Group C. They will play at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Philippines is set to play its opening match at the cavernous Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. It will then play its remaining games at Smart Araneta Coliseum following a logistical change announced by Fiba on Friday.

If they qualify for the final phase of the games, the Filipinos will play the quarterfinals and beyond at Mall of Asia Arena.

Final groupings of the Fiba Basketball World Cup 2023. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Gilas will be taking on countries it has played in the past. The Philippines played Angola and Italy in the previous edition of the World Cup held in China.

The Filipinos, mentored by Yeng Guiao and led by Andray Blatche, lost to Italy by a 108-62 blowout at the hands of the Italians and then absorbed a gut-wrenching 84-81 loss to the Angolas in overtime.

It has also faced off against the Dominican Republic in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Gilas’ all-cadets crew coached by Tab Baldwin lost, 94-67.

“Obviously, the next phase is to take a look at the teams we’re playing and to build the team and select the players that hopefully we think could compete with the players that we know would be on the other team,” said national team coach Chot Reyes after the Draw Ceremony held Saturday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“The good thing is that now, we have some clarity on who we’re playing and what kind of preparation is necessary to be at our best come August.”

The Philippines, which came home from the China showcase empty-handed, will have every reason to do better in this edition of the World Cup as the meet also serves as a direct pathway to the Olympic Games.

The top-ranked nation for each continent will be granted automatic passage to the Paris Summer Games.