At A Glance
- Gilas Pilipinas is set for a tuneup game against the Macau Black Bears on July 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum – a fitting sendoff and a gift to the fans who can actually watch the game live before the team departs for the FIBA Asia Cup.
Gilas Pilipinas is set for a tuneup game against the Macau Black Bears on July 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum – a fitting sendoff and a gift to the fans who can actually watch the game live before the team departs for the FIBA Asia Cup.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas formally announced the exhibition match which Gilas fans can watch by buying tickets ranging from P80 for the general admission up to P2,120 for the courtside seats.
The game will be the fans' only chance to see the Gilas live in action as the team will be flying to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where it will take on New Zealand, Chinese Taipei and Iraq in the group stage of the continental meet which will formally fire off on Aug. 5.
The tuneup game against the Black Bears will also serve as the final part of the team's preparations here in the country before resuming its practice in Jeddah to get the players acclimated to the weather.
It was also not the first time that Gilas has conducted a tuneup game open for the public to watch as the team had twice done it when it took on Changwon LG Sakers and Taiwan Mustangs in preparation for two different competitions.
Gilas defeated the Sakers, 86-81, in September 2023 in the leadup to the 19th Asian Games where the Nationals became the eventual champions. They then took down the Mustangs, 74-64, this time as part of its preparations for the Olympic Qualifying tournament where Gilas ended up upsetting host and then world No. 6 Latvia.
The Nationals are set to return to training in a once-a-week setup until two weeks before the formal opening of the Asia Cup. The team will then go on a closed-door training before capping the buildup with the game against Macau.