Tag: Fiba

Gilas boys lose to USA by 96, bow out of Fiba U17 World Cup

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Gilas Pilipinas boys against Team USA in the 2024 Fiba U17 World Cup Round of 16. -FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas Boys absorbed another brutal defeat to bow out of the 2024 Fiba U17 World Cup Round of 16 in Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday night (Manila time).

The Philippines suffered a disheartening 96-point loss at the hands of United States, 141-45, at Ahmet Comert Sports Hall, ending its hopes for a podium finish on the global stage.

This after finishing the group phase without a win capped off by a 98-53 defeat at the hands of Puerto Rico on Tuesday.

READ: Gilas boys get crushed by Lithuania in Fiba U17 World Cup opener

Like the Gilas boys’ previous games, the Filipinos went on a slow start that gave them an insurmountable disadvantage until the final buzzer.

Team USA, on the other hand, began the game with an electrifying 43-13 opening period.

Eight players from USA scored in double digits headlined by a 22-point outburst from Koa Peat. Cam Boozer scored 20 while Jalen Haralson, Caleb Holt and Chris Cenac added 16, 14 and 14 points, respectively.

Joaquin Ludovice finished with 15 points n the loss that relegated Gilas in the classification phase. while CJ Amos dropped 10 points.

The Gilas boys await the other teams in the classification round, giving them either two or three days of rest before going back in action.



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Gilas Pilipinas boys lose big anew in Fiba U17 World Cup

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Photo from Fiba

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas Boys still can’t catch a break in the Fiba U17 World Cup.

After absorbing a demoralizing 107-48 loss to Lithuania on Saturday, Gilas swallowed another crushing defeat, this time at the hands of Spain.

Spain made easy work of the Gilas boys, 96-34, in Group A of the tournament at Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, Turkey late Sunday night (Manila time).

Gilas boys get crushed by Lithuania in Fiba U17 World Cup 

The young Nationals never stood a chance after falling, 30-2, in the opening period.

Joaquin Ludovice was the only Gilas player to score in the first frame after making a layup at the 5:17 mark that came following Spain’s 16-0 start.

Gilas, which is missing its best player in Kieffer Alas due to a knee injury, just didn’t have enough firepower to make it a game against powerhouse Spain.

READ: Kieffer Alas out of Gilas boys lineup for Fiba U17 World Cup

Spain dominated the rebounding department, 71-22, and held the Philippines to only 22 percent shooting from the field.

Bonn Daja was the lone double-digit scorer for Gilas with 12 points. He also grabbed five rebounds.

Maximo Garcia-Plata led Spain with a near-triple-double effort, collecting 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists while Ignacio Campoy posted 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Two more players hit double-digits for Spain with Guillermo Del Pino and Eric Del Castillo scoring 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Gilas looks to end its campaign on a positive note when it faces Puerto Rico on Tuesday.



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Gilas girls enter topflight Fiba company after China romp

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The Gilas girls, with program director Pat Aquino (second from right), erupt in celebration as the final buzzer sounds. —FIBA ASIA PHOTO

The Gilas Pilipinas crew crushed one foe after another on its way to the Fiba U18 Asia Cup for Women’s finale, but on the eve of its most important game, national coach Julie Amos assured everyone that this band of hard-fighting girls still has another gear in it.

And they did just that on Sunday, ripping Lebanon to shreds, 95-64, at Futian Sports Park in Shenzhen, China, to complete a riveting quest that not only secured a Division A promotion but also completed the program’s redemption story.

Alyssa Rodriguez starred for the young Nationals with 22 points built on six triples. Alicia Villanueva, Naomi Panganiban, Sophia Canindo and Ava Fajardo also came through with twin-digit scores as the young Filipinos repeated over the Lebanese after dismantling them in the group phase.

“Now the seniors, U-18, and U-16 programs are all in Division A. We know there’s a lot more to work on. We celebrate now [but] prepare for the future,” Amos told the Inquirer shortly after the triumph.

“We are so happy for the girls and the program. With the support of the [Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas], especially executive director Erika Dy and president Al Panlilio, we wouldn’t have made this happen,” assistant coach and women’s program director Pat Aquino said in a separate message.

Breaking away

The Nationals got to work in the second period, scoring 33 while limiting the enemy to just nine points. That cutthroat trend carried over to the second half, as the Gilas girls played commendable team basketball with Gabriella Ramos, Jolzyne Impreso, Aubrey Lapasaran, Ashlyn Abong, Tiffany Reyes, Margarette Duenas and Venice Quinte all contributing.

The triumph atoned for the Filipinos’ botched attempt two years ago in Bangalore, India, where the National Five ran into Malaysia in the semifinals, eventually falling short of tabbing a promotion.

The Gilas girls can now compete in the main tournament where Asia’s traditional powerhouses are at. Australia and China are battling for the Division A crown at Longhua Cultural and Sports Center as of press time.

“We’ve had an amazing run from the Seaba to the Asia Cup. We hope that we continue to give honor to our country and kababayans,” Aquino said. INQ



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Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT in Riga, Latvia

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Gilas Pilipinas begins its Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) campaign. –SBP PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas takes its final shot to make it to the Paris Olympics slated for next month as it competes in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga.

There will be four OQTs played from July 2 to 8 across the nations of Latvia, where Gilas Pilipinas is competing, Puerto Rico, Greece and Spain.

Gilas is bracketed with Georgia and host Latvia in Group A while Brazil, Cameroon, and Montenegro make up Group B.

READ: Paris 2024 or LA 2028, Tim Cone wants Olympic stint for Gilas

The Philippines qualified for the Olympic qualifiers despite just racking up a sole win in the Fiba World Cup the country hosted last year. The outright Olympic berth from Asia went to Japan as the highest-ranked team from the continent.

Gilas Pilipinas group stage schedule at Fiba OQT (Philippine time)

Gilas Pilipinas first clashes with host Latvia, ranked sixth in the world missing its NBA star Kristaps Porzingis, and then Georgia, which has NBA players  Sandro Mamukelashvili and Goga Bitadze.

Another schedule will be based on the results of the group phase.

Gilas Pilipinas group stage schedule at Fiba OQT (Philippine time)

Gilas Pilipinas group stage schedule at Fiba OQT (Philippine time).

July 4, Thursday

  • 12am – Latvia vs Philippines
  • 8:30pm – Philippines vs Georgia

Full Fiba OQT Riga, Latvia group stage schedule

Full Fiba OQT Riga, Latvia group stage schedule

July 2, Tuesday

  • 8:30pm – Brazil vs Montenegro

July 3, Wednesday

  • 12am – Georgia vs Latvia
  • 8:30pm – Montenegro vs Cameroon

July 4, Thursday

  • 12am – Latvia vs Philippines
  • 8:30pm – Philippines vs Georgia

July 5, Friday

  • 12am – Cameroon vs Brazil

July 6, Saturday

July 8, Monday

Gilas Pilipinas Final roster for the Fiba OQT

Gilas Pilipinas is down to 11 men when it competes in the Olympic qualifiers with coach Tim Cone’s trusty longtime point guard Scottie Thompson and young big man AJ Edu out due to injuries.

  • Mason Amos
  • Chris Newsome
  • Calvin Oftana
  • CJ Perez
  • Dwight Ramos
  • Justin Brownlee
  • Carl Tamayo
  • Kai Sotto
  • June Mar Fajardo
  • Japeth Aguilar
  • Kevin Quiambao

Fiba OQT format

The format of the OQTs makes every game a must-win for Gilas Pilipinas with only the champion in each qualifier advancing to the Paris Olympics men’s basketball competition from July 27 to August 10.



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There are six teams in each OQT. They will face each other in a single-round robin format with the top two of per group advancing to the knockout Final Phase.

In the semifinals, the first place for each group battles the second place from the other group with a berth in the Finals at stake.

The winners of each OQT will join the eight teams who have qualified for the Paris Olympics, namely host France, United States, Canada, Australia, South Sudan, Japan Serbia, and Germany.

Gilas Girls enter Fiba U18 Asia Cup Finals, closer to promotion

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Gilas Pilipinas girls’ Ava Fajardo during a Fiba U18 Women’s Asia Cup Division B game against Samoa. –FIBA PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas bucked a wobbly second quarter and then played full of zest the rest of the way to dismantle Samoa, 71-47, in the Final Four of the Fiba U18 Women’s Asia Cup Division B on Saturday.

The Young Nationals regained their bearings in the third period and held the Samoans just eight points in the final period of the clash at Futian Sports Park in Shenzen, China to inch closer to a promotion to the tournament’s top-flight division.

Ava Fajardo, one of the noteworthy players from the Gilas Girls program pipeline from last year, delivered 19 points to lead all of the Filipinos in a victory that exorcised the demons of two years ago.

READ: Gilas girls crush Maldives by 123 points in Fiba U18 Asia Cup

The Philippines faltered against Malaysia in overtime in the same phase during the Bangalore, India edition of the showcase in 2022, eventually settling for a third-place finish and falling short of a Division A ticket after crushing left and right early into the tournament.

The Philippines enjoyed leads as big as 26 points and was in control of the contest save for the first 2:12 of the opening frame, where the Filipinos were trying to rediscover their groove after a two-day break.

Naomi Panganiban added 12 points, while Sophia Canindo and Alicia Villanueva chipped in 11 each for the Julie Amos squad that will now face the winner of the other semifinal duel featuring Lebanon and Iran.

READ: Gilas girls return to work, shoot for promotion in China

The Philippines picked apart Lebanon, 89-63, in their previous encounter in the group phase last Tuesday.

Iran, meanwhile, was the finest squad of Group A, sweeping its way into the semifinal phase.

The Lebanese and Iranians tangle as of this writing at the same venue.



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Mylaani Sione led the way for the Samoans with 18 points. Kira-May Filemu added 12 points, but was the only other player to finish for the squad, which will be relegated to the battle for 3rd place.

Gilas boys get crushed by Lithuania in Fiba U17 World Cup opener

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Gilas Pilipinas boys’ CJ Amos against a Lithuanian defender in the Fiba U17 World Cup. –FIBA BASKETBALL

MANILA, Philippines—Lithuania proved to be too much to handle for the Gilas Pilipinas Boys, scoring a dominant 107-48 win in Group A of the Fiba Under-17 World Cup at Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday (Manila time).

Backed by a strong opening, the Lithuanians dealt the Philippines an insurmountable lead that Gilas couldn’t come close to cutting down for the remainder of the game.

Already holding a 46-29 at the intermission, Lithuania torched the Philippines with a 13-2 run to open the third period capped off by a Majus Bulanovas triple at the 7:34 mark.

 SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba U17 Basketball World Cup

The third quarter was Gilas’ worst frame as the Filipinos only scored seven points while the Lithuanians fired on all cylinders with 35.

Height is might and the Lithuanians showed just that, as they demolished the Philippines in the rebounding department, 61-32.

Lithuania hounded the Gilas boys on defense with 10 steals and eight blocks overall, as a team, limiting the Nationals to a measly 21.9 percent field goal shooting clip while shooting 53.5 percent as a squad.

READ: Kieffer Alas out of Gilas boys roster for Fiba U17 World Cup

With Kieffer Alas out of the lineup due to a knee injury, CJ Amos led the Philippines with 10 points and three assists but to no avail. Kurt Velasquez struggled mightily for his eight points, sinking just three of his 14 tries from the field for Gilas.

Arturas Butajevas finished just a rebound shy of a double-double with 22 points and nine rebounds for Lithuania. Kajus Mikalauskas scored 15 while Erikas Sirgedas and Dovydas Buika finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Up next for the Gilas Boys is Spain at the same venue on Sunday at 8:30 pm.



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Kieffer Alas out of Gilas boys lineup for Fiba U17 World Cup

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Gilas Pilipinas Boys’ Kieffer Alas is named in the All-Star Five at the Fiba U16 Asian Championship in Doha, Qatar.–FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas boys will compete in the 2024 Fiba Under-17 World Cup in Istanbul without its star guard Kieffer Alas.

In Fiba’s final roster released ahead of Saturday’s opening game day, Alas was not part of the lineup due to a knee injury he suffered in the Gilas boys’  last tune-up game against Canada.

“On initial examination by our team doctor, he had a functionally stable knee and the official result of his MRI determined Kieffer has a sprained ACL,” said head coach Josh Reyes. “His knee is swollen and he’ll be out for three weeks. We will be monitoring his situation closely.”

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba U17 World Cup

Alas, a member of the UAAP Season 86 boys’ basketball Mythical Five, will sit out the competition but fellow La Salle Zobel standout Irus Chua will still add a hue of Green and White to the roster.

“It’s a tough break for us but the rest of the team is motivated to play together. We’re praying for good results on Kieffer’s MRI but we have to move forward and quickly figure out how to play without him,” Reyes said.

READ: Kieffer Alas makes Fiba Asia U16 All-Star Five

“Kieffer was doing a great job in playmaking, rebounding, and playing defense and this is his value to the squad, more than his scoring.”

Dominic Arejola took Alas’ spot for the Gilas boys, who will play Lithuania on Saturday in their first assignment in the World Cup.

University of Santo Tomas talents Joaquin Ludovice and Kurt Velasquez were also included in the lineup.

Ludovice made noise not too long ago by cracking the NBTC 24 list, an annual ladder of the best high-school players in the country. He was listed as the 20th-best high school player.

They will be joined by 5-foot-11 athletic guard Elijah Williams, Blue Eagle star Mason Amos’ younger brother CJ and lanky 6-foot-4 wing Edryn Morales.

Also joining the pack are Davao Bulldog Bonn Daja, the tallest man in the lineup at 6-foot-6 in Paul Diao, UP Integrated School Talent Jaime Gomez de Liaño and California-bred Samuel Alegre.

Rounding out the lineup is Noah Banal, who, alongside Williams, Amos, Morales, Daja, Diao, de Liaño, and Alegre finished fourth in the U16 Asian Championship.



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Gilas is grouped in Pool A with Spain, Puerto Rico and Lithuania.

Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba U17 World Cup

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Schedule, roster for Fiba Under-17 World Basketball Cup.

Gilas Pilipinas boys team begins its campaign in the 2024 Fiba Under-17 Basketball World Cup, which will run from June 29 to July 7 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Philippines is bracketed with Lithuania, Spain and Puerto Rico in Group A.

China, USA, France, and Guinea round out Group B while Argentina, host Türkiye, New Zealand, Italy headline Group C. Egypt, Germany, Canada, Australia are slotted in Group D.

READ: Gilas boys get tough draw for 2024 Fiba U17 World Cup

The Gilas boys earned their spot in the World Cup after a semifinal stint in the Fiba U16 Asian Championship last year.

This is the Philippines’ third appearance in the U17 World Cup after Gilas’ first two campaigns in 2014 and 2018.

Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba U17 Basketball World Cup Group stage schedule

Gilas Pilipinas plays a round-robin format with teams in its group in the group phase from June 29 to July 2.

All four teams per group advance to the next round, where Groups A and B and Group C and D will face each other in a crossover format. The match-ups are based on their group phase ranking.

June 29, Saturday

  • 5:30pm – Lithuania vs Gilas Pilipinas

June 30, Sunday

  • 8:30pm – Gilas Pilipinas vs Spain

July 2, Tuesday

  • 8pm – Gilas Pilipinas vs Puerto Rico

July 3, Wednesday

July 5, Friday

July 6, Saturday

July 7, Sunday



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Philippines’ roster at Fiba U17 Basketball World Cup

  • 0 – Noah Banal
  • 1 – Joaquin Gabriel Ludovice
  • 2 – Elijah Mark Williams
  • 5 – Paul Cyron Diao
  • 6 – Irus Chua
  • 8 – Bonn Ervin Daja
  • 11 – Kurt Nathan Velasquez
  • 12 – Dominic Joaquin Arejola
  • 13 – Samuel Alegre
  • 25 – Cletz David Amos
  • 26 – Edryn Morales
  • 38 – Jaime Lorenzo Gomez de Liano

Kieffer Alas, who starred in the Gilas U16 run, was replaced due to injury.

Gilas Pilipinas loses to Turkey in tune-up ahead of Fiba OQT

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Gilas Pilipinas’ June Mar Fajardo and Justin Brownlee flank as Turkey player during a tune-up game in Istanbul ahead of the Fiba OQT. –TURKEY BASKETBALL FEDERATION

Gilas Pilipinas sputtered when it mattered most on Friday, bowing to Turkey, 84-73, in the second tune-up game geared towards the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OTQ).

The Nationals, led by Justin Brownlee valiantly fought for most of the contest at Besiktas Akatlar Culture and Sports Complex in Istanbul but had to settle with the loss with young cornerstone Kai Sotto saddled with fouls and shooting abandoning Gilas just as it was trying to mount a comeback.

Brownlee, Gilas’ naturalized ace, delivered 21 points and five rebounds while June Mar Fajardo added 17 and 11 for the Tim Cone-mentored squad priming for the OQT in Riga, Latvia next week.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas flies to Turkiye hoping to show readiness for OQT

“It was a tough loss against Turkey. We had our first taste of the type of opposition we will be facing in the OQT,” Gilas assistant coach and team manager Richard del Rosario said in a bulletin posted by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas a few hours after the contest held early morning in Manila.

The Philippines pulled within two, 42-40, heading into the intermission. Gilas again trimmed the Turkish lead to five, 78-73, on a Brownlee slam with 1:44 remaining, just before Gilas’ offense conked out.

The Filipinos hit only five threes as the Turks converted 14 of their 41 attempts from downtown.

Sotto had seven points before fouling out with 2:35 left in the clash that had Gilas going 1-1 in its preparations for the Riga meet. Cone and his charges defeated the Taiwan Mustangs at PhilSports Arena last Sunday.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas beats Taiwan Mustangs in tune-up before OQT

Host Latvia, Gilas’ first assignment in OQT, crushed Egypt, 84-63, in a friendly late Thursday. Georgia, another Group A opponent, stumbled against Cameroon, 67-66.

Multi-time local league champion Tarik Biberovic led the way for Turkey with 23 points built on a 5-for-9 shooting from deep. Can Kormaz chipped in 12 more for the Turks who are also in their own buildup.

The Dev Adam, who are ranked 24th in the global leaderboard, are preparing for the EuroLeague and are playing a series of friendlies which includes Olympics host France.

Gilas will be wrapping up its buildup against the World No. 15 Poland on Saturday (early Sunday morning in Manila) before plunging into one of the four OQTs, which will complete the Summer Olympic Games field.

Gilas Pilipinas scores:

Turkey (84) — Biberovic 23, Korkmaz 12, Sanli 9, Sipahi 9, Osmani 8, Ozdemiroglu 7, Haltali 6, Kabaca 3, Yilmaz 3, Bas 2, Yasar 2, Ilyasoglu 0.

Philippines (73) — Brownlee 21, Fajardo 17, Sotto 7, Tamayo 7, Newsome 5, Ramos 4, Aguilar 4, Perez 3, Oftana 3, Quiambao 2, Amos 0.



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Quarterscores: 24-21; 42-40; 64-56; 84-73.

China’s 7-foot-3 player Zhang Ziyu dominating Fiba U18 Asia Cup

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The photo taken on June 25, 2024 shows 2.20m (seven feet, three inches) Chinese basketball player Zhang Ziyu and her teammates listening to their coach’s instructions during their 2024 FIBA Under-18 Women’s Asia Cup match between China and New Zealand in Shenzhen. (Photo by AFP)

A 17-year-old Chinese basketball player has been tipped for the top and drawn comparisons to Yao Ming after using her startling height advantage to dominate an international tournament.

Zhang Ziyu stands 7-foot-3 (2.20 meters), according to Fiba, the basketball’s governing body.

But Chinese media reported earlier this year that she was even taller at 7-foot-6 (2.28m)

READ: Yao Ming vows to support China basketball players after online abuse

Either way, she has used her height to help the hosts to two comfortable wins at this week’s U18 Women’s Asia Cup in Shenzhen and drawn attention beyond China after footage of her emerged online.

Against Indonesia on Monday, Zhang netted 19 points in 13 minutes after coming off the bench in a big 109-50 victory.

Video footage showed her towering over her opponents, with some of the Indonesian players barely coming up to the chest of Zhang, who hardly has to jump to reach the basket.

READ: Yao Ming slams China ‘slackers’ after Asian Games basketball flop

China then beat New Zealand 90-68 on Tuesday, with the teenager posting a team-high 36 points. She also led in rebounds with 13.

Social media users compared her to former NBA star Yao, who was 2.29m tall and China’s greatest basketball player of all time.

The WNBA requires foreign players to be aged at least 20, but many observers are already speculating about Zhang’s potential future career in the United States.

“Generational dominance,” one user on X commented.

“She’s got a good touch around the rim,” another wrote.



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“Most tall people just chuck the ball at it, hoping it goes in, but she has good form and knows what she’s doing.”