Philippines May Have Found Right Core Roster Heading To FIBA World Cup

The fourth window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers ended in success for the Philippines with an emphatic 84-46 victory over Saudi Arabia this past Monday, August 29.

Gilas Pilipinas, as they are locally known, looked to be more comfortable playing on home soil compared to their nail-biting loss to Lebanon four days prior, and it appears that this could very well be the main core of next year's FIBA World Cup roster.

The International Business Times was able to ask head coach Chot Reyes regarding the matter and he agreed that while "there are some other guys" that the coaching staff would want to consider, the team is pretty much set in stone for the most part.

Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson and 2022 NBA draft entrant Kai Sotto came up big for the Filipino side after combining for 39 of their 84 points, with the latter putting up a double-double in points (16) and rebounds (13).

It was apparent that the offense was going to run through their two most valuable players for the entirety of the game as Clarkson scored nine of their first 11 points, while Sotto added two from the free throw line.

When Reyes was asked about it being their game plan, he noted that it was not entirely the story.

"Our offense is predicated on what the defense is giving us. It depends really on opportunities that present themselves to the players on the floor. Today, just because of the way that they (Saudi Arabia) were defending, the spacing and how the game was upholding, it turned out that way," Reyes stated.

"It's good to have a weapon like Kai [Sotto] because he's a pretty easy target for the guys to get to."

Effort was the name of the game for the Philippines going into the hotly-anticipated matchup, and everyone contributed as much as possible.

Highly-regarded locals Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson and Chris Newsome's activity on the court spoke louder than what they produced on the box score.

Forward Calvin Oftana had six points of his own, but his biggest impact on the game was his on the defensive end – shutting down Saudi Arabia's passing lanes and always staying in front of his man.

Japanese B. League imports Kiefer Ravena, Dwight Ramos, Thirdy Ravena and Bobby Ray Parks had their shining moments in the game as they helped put away the Saudis in the second half.

Ramos became the talk of the town after producing a poster-worthy dunk on forward Mohammed Almarwani in the second quarter.

Jamie Malonzo and late call-up Roosevelt Adams also provided all-important defense on the wings for the Filipinos en route to the rout.

Judging by Reyes' comments, this team is as well-built as any team they have fielded in past windows and the core will likely be composed of Clarkson, Sotto, Ramos, Oftana, Parks and the Ravena brothers.

The inclusion of a strong post presence like that of June Mar Fajardo plus 3-and-D wingers alongside a tertiary point guard could bring the island-nation to a deep run in the FIBA World Cup.

It should be noted that this version of the national team was put together on short notice, and while they were not able to get the win against Lebanon, the potential is there if they can get sufficient training time.

The FIBA World Cup is set to kickstart and will serve as an opportunity for Gilas Pilipinas to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.