The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) on Wednesday announced the 12-man roster of the Gilas Pilipinas for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
The list of players is as follows:
Rhenz Abando
Japeth Aguilar
Jordan Clarkson
AJ Edu
June Mar Fajardo
Jamie Malonzo
CJ Perez
RR Pogoy
Dwight Ramos
Kiefer Ravena
Kai Sotto
Scottie Thompson
Gilas Pilipinas will take on the Dominican Republic on opening day, August 25, at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, followed by matches at the Smart Araneta Coliseum against Angola (August 27) and Italy (August 29).
Last week, SBP president Al Panlilio said the Philippine men’s basketball team aims to win at least two games as it tries to book a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“We haven’t hosted the World Cup since 1978. It’s even much longer since we’ve been in the Olympics. It’s been a while, and I think the aspirations for us are that we want to be the best Asian team,” Panlilio said.
“We won one game in 2014 against Senegal, but unfortunately, we didn’t win anything in Beijing. So if we can do that, we’ll go to the next round and potentially book a spot for the Olympics,” he added.
Slated for August 25 to September 10, the FIBA Basketball World Cup is co-hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.
