Photos from FIBAAsia.net
MANILA — Smart Gilas Pilipinas is hoping for what its coach says is a “good draw” when the composition of the four groups for the preliminaries of the 26th Fiba Asia Championship is decided today in Wuhan, China.
Reigning Fiba Asia champion Iran and host China are expected to head two groups from the 16-team cast even as organizers wait for two more qualifiers from Middle Asia where Kazakhstan and India are the top bets.
The Nationals recently topped the 9th Southeast Asian Basketball Association in Jakarta and towed Indonesia and Malaysia to the Sept. 15 to 25 tourney which stakes the lone Asian ticket to the London Olympics next year.
The other early qualifiers are Lebanon, South Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Syria.
China automatically qualified as host while Lebanon may also head another group after capturing the Fiba Asia Stankovic Cup held in Beirut last year.
“Since we don’t have any control over it, we’re just hoping for the best,” said Gilas coach Rajko Toroman yesterday.
A good group for Toroman would be avoiding a bracket with Iran, China, South Korea or Lebanon, teams the PH five has yet to beat since the Smart Gilas program began late 2008.