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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Sans injured Alas, Gilas boys hope to shock Lithuania in U17 World Cup opener

Sans injured Alas, Gilas boys hope to shock Lithuania in U17 World Cup opener

Published Jun 29, 2024 01:22 am

At A Glance

  • The Gilas Pilipinas boys team watched from the sidelines as their senior counterparts played against the Turkey national team as part of their preparation for the Olympic qualifying tournament.

The Gilas Pilipinas boys team watched from the sidelines as their senior counterparts played against the Turkey national team as part of their preparation for the Olympic qualifying tournament.

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The seniors team lost to Turkey in a close encounter before their eyes but that brave stand Gilas put up against the much taller foes should be enough to light a fire in the spirits of the boys team that is likewise facing its own daunting task in the FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul.

The Gilas Boys formally begin their quest for basketball glory as they open their campaign in the world stage against powerhouse Lithuania at the Istanbul, Sinan Erdem Dome on Saturday, June 29 (Manila time).

Pegged as the heavy underdogs against the No.7 ranked team in the world, the Gilas boys hope to pull off a surprise in the 5:30 p.m. and put the rest of teams in the 16-field tournament on notice.

Making matters even more challenging for the Filipinos, however, was the huge blow to its lineup after star guard Kieffer Alas was confirmed to be out of the World Cup after sustaining an apparent left knee injury.

Without the team’s leading scorer who was averaging 15.4 points apart from his 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists,  Kurt Nathan Velasquez, Joaquin Ludovice, Irus Chua and Champ Arejola who is taking Alas spot in the Final 12 are expected to lead the charge

Elijah Williams, Cletz David Amos, Edryn Morales, Bonn Daja, Paul Diao, Jaime Gomez De Liaño, Samuel Alegre, and Noah Banal are also part of the crew which are looking to best the country’s 13th place finish in the last time it participated in the World Cup in 2018.

Easier said than done, however, as a couple more powerhouses await the Boys after the clash against the Lithuanians.

Gilas is also set to take on World No.2 Spain the next day on the 30th before rounding up their group stage schedule against No. 15 Puerto Rico on July 2 after a one-day break.

No team will be eliminated at the end of the group phase although Gilas needs to have a decent record to get a favorable matchup and avoid other powerhouses in the crossover Round of 16.

 

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