The Philippines Men’s National Team or Gilas Pilipinas will give it another go in the upcoming fourth window of the FIBA Asia World Cup qualifiers. With an already star studded cast of young athletes, Gilas Pilipinas will be joined by two very talented players – Adelaide 36ers’ Kai Sotto and the 2021 NBA 6th man of the year and Utah Jazz guard, Jordan Clarkson.
Kai, 21, will be returning to the Gilas pool after going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft. He had just exercised his contract in the NBL with his former team, the Adelaide 36ers and is looking to continue his pursuit for a spot in the NBA. Sotto just arrived in Manila, Philippines last Thursday, August 18, 2022 to practice with his fellow countrymen.
On the other hand, Jazz guard, Jordan Clarkson landed on the Phillipines last Friday (August 19). After almost 4 years, Clarkson will return to the Philippines to fight for the country in FIBA. His last campaign with the team was in 2019, during the 2018 Asian games. Both Kai Sotto and Jordan Clarkson will be given a week of practice with the current roster in preparation for the games against Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Related: Kai Sotto Signs With Wasserman Sports Agency; Parts Ways With Joel Bell
Gilas Pilipinas Match Schedules
Gilas Pilipinas will try to redeem themselves in the fourth window of the Asian qualifiers. However, their next game won’t exactly be an easy path.
After almost beating the powerhouse team of Australia in the Finals, the Lebanese national team became a team to not mess with. Led by the FIBA 2022 MVP Wael Arakji, Lebanon (Rank #54) will battle the Philippines (Rank #34) in one of the biggest matches in FIBA Asia WC. Arakji averaged 26 points throughout the tournament. In addition to that, Arakji is also part of the top five performers in the FIBA World Cup alongside Thon Maker, Matthew Delavedova, Zhou Qi, and Yuta Watanabe. Philippines, who now have Sotto and Clarkson, will be facing off against Lebanon on August 25th in Beirut.
Related: NBA Update: What’s Next For Kai Sotto?
Meanwhile, the Gilas Pilipinas’ second outing will be against Saudi Arabi (ranked #87). They will be playing at home in (arena, Philippines). As a result, this will be the first time since 2019 that Filipino-American (Clarkson) will play in the Philippine soil. Take a look at the video by One Sports during a team practice held by the Gilas Pilipinas last Saturday. Both Sotto and Clarkson have attended the said practice.
Venue and ticket sales
Philippines versus Lebanon
The much anticipated a former NBA 6th man of the year together with an NBA prospect versus the FIBA Asia MVP will take place on the 25th of August. However, Lebanon will be hosting Philippines at home in Zouk Mikael, Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex, Beirut, Lebanon. For ticket inquiries, visit the ticketingboxoffice page for more details.
Philippines versus Saudi Arabia
The second game for the Gilas Pilipinas in the fourth window will be against the Saudi Arabian National team on August 29, 2022. The match will be held in Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. You may check available tickets and its corresponding prices at ticketnet.com.
In another news, Gilas Pilipinas head coach, Chot Reyes, received backlash after failing to bring the team to the top. Add that with his statement that Gilas does not need to win against their match against Lebanon.
“We really don’t need to win the game against Lebanon. It’s going to be good for PR, it’s going to be good with my haters, but for the whole team objective, it’s not necessary,” Reyes said.
That controversial statement received a lot of negative comments and fans are now petitioning for Chot Reyes to be replaced by the former Gilas head coach, Tab Baldwin. However, when Jordan Clarkson was asked on what his goals are with the team against their next 2 games, he just simply answered with “Just win”. Will this spark a motivation within the team or will things just get worse for the Gilas Pilipinas?
Can Kai Sotto and Jordan Clarkson lead the Gilas Pilipinas to victory? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
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