Makaabot sa 2nd round ng FIBA World Cup, "fantastic!"

ni VA @Sports | May 31, 2023

Maituturing na isang tagumpay para kay Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes ang makaabot sila sa second round ng 2023 FIBA World Cup dahil na rin sa lakas ng kanilang mga makakalaban sa pagbubukas ng torneo sa Agosto 25 sa Manila.

"First of all, if we get one win, it's going to be fantastic, but if we get two wins, that can make it a real success, and then we go to the second round," ani Reyes nang makapanayam siya sa programang "Power and Play" ni dating PBA commissioner Noli Eala. "If we are able to do that, then our chances of qualifying for the (Paris) Olympics will increase that much greater. That's our measure of success for the World Cup." Magsisimula ng kanilang preparasyon ang Gilas para sa World Cup sa Hunyo 7 sa Meralco gym. Sa kanilang paghahanda, magkakaroon ang Gilas pool ng scrimmages games kontra sa national teams ng Estonia, Finland, Lithuanian under-21 team at Latvia. "Then we will be back (in Manila) to train, and then another tournament in August in China, but that's not final yet. We will make the final announcement once it's finalized," ayon pa kay Reyes.

Sa ngayon, hindi pa pinapangalanan ni Reyes ang kanilang final 12 upang maiwasan ang kanilang mga naging karanasan partikular noong nakaraang Southeast Asian Games sa Cambodia kung saan isinama nila sina Roger Pogoy, Japeth Aguilar at Junemar Fajardo na hindi naman nakalaro dahil may mga injury. "Now it's the same thing. We're going to have scheduled tuneup games, training and preparations. If we only go there with our 12, we could go there with several (players) incapacitated because there's always something that will happen," paliwanag ni Reyes.