Guiao bares modest goal for FIBA World Cup
National men’s basketball team coach Yeng Guiao revealed that the modest goal of the Philippine team is to win at least one or two games in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 2019 World Cup on August 31 to September 15 in China.
Guiao, also the head coach of the Northern Luzon Expressway team in the Philippine Basketball Association, said Team Pilipinas is up against formidable foes in No. 4 Serbia, No. 13 Italy and No. 39 Angola in Group D.
“Our modest goal is to win one game. So we will overachieve if we win two in the group,” Guiao told The Manila Times on Saturday evening after learning of the draw’s result from China. “Definitely, we are the underdogs but I want a positive approach and mindset that we can still win there.”
The last time the Philippine Team, then under coach Chot Reyes, competed in the FIBA World Cup was in 2014 in Spain. The Philippines finished with one victory against four losses. The 81-79 overtime win against Senegal was the country’s first victory in the World Cup since 1974.
“Winning there is a tall order but we’ll be having an early preparation against the three teams that we’re going to face there,” added Guiao. “We will be outsized. It’s going to be a very physical game—including Angola—so we have to get used to playing against bigger guys.”
Serbia has in its lineup four active National Basketball Association (NBA) players namely the 7-footer Nikola Jokic, the 7’3 Boban Marjanovic, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica. The Italian team has two active NBA players in Danilo Galinari and Marco Bellenelli.
The following is the result of the draw: A (Venezuela, Poland, China and Ivory Coast), B (Argentina, Russia, South Korea and Nigeria), C (Spain, Puerto Rico, Iran and Tunisia) D (Serbia, Italy, Philippines and Angola) E (USA, Turkey, Czech Republic, Japan) F (Greece, Brazil, Montenegro, New Zealand) G (France, Dominican Republic, Germany, Jordan) and H (Lithuania, Australia, Canada, Senegal) were balanced.
“All brackets are balanced and we cannot complaint,” Guiao said.
Guiao added that the preparation for the World Cup will begin most likely in June.
“We will use the same team. I think we will only have one or two new players in the line up,” he concluded.
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