The SBP on Friday, June 16, announced that ticket holders for the August 25 opening games at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan can avail of free shuttle service from major transportation hubs.

According to the SBP, 400 buses will be deployed on August 25 with hopes of encouraging fans to watch Gilas Pilipinas’ duel with Dominican Republic and shatter the FIBA attendance record that has stood for nearly three decades.

The current FIBA record is the 32,616-strong crowd that watched Team USA clobber Russia, 137-91, in the 1994 World Cup championship game at the SkyDome – now the Rogers Centre – in Toronto, Canada.

Gilas Pilipinas’ match against Dominican Republic at the 55,000-seater venue is set at 8 pm, after fellow Group A teams Italy and Angola duke it out at 4 pm.

Filipino fans who will watch in Bulacan are expected to play a key role as the Philippines – ranked No. 40 in the world – looks to capitalize on its home court advantage as it eyes an upset against No. 23 Dominican Republic.

A win over Dominican Republic will bring Gilas Pilipinas towards its goal of advancing to the second round and finishing as the best-placed Asian team, a feat that merits a coveted berth in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Philippines will then play the rest of its group stage matches against Italy and Angola at the Araneta Coliseum.

Ranging from P999 to P18,899, tickets for the August 25 games at the Philippine Arena are available for purchase online at https://philippines-ticketing.worldcup.basketball/. – Rappler.com

Sotto said he would turn his focus to the World Cup once he concludes a potential Summer League stint in the United States as he continues his bid to become the first homegrown Filipino to reach the NBA.

Hoping to earn a Summer League roster spot, Sotto recently participated in mini camps organized by the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks.

The 7-foot-3 big man will attend another mini camp put together by the New York Knicks.

“Summer League won’t be a conflict in terms of scheduling before the World Cup,” Sotto told PlayItRight TV. “I think there’ll be time.”

The Summer League in Las Vegas will run from July 7 to 17, meaning Sotto can join the national team in training for more than five weeks before the World Cup – co-hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia – on August 25.

Sotto, though, is expected to miss Gilas Pilipinas’ training camp in Europe, where it will face teams from Finland, Estonia, and Lithuania in a series of tune-up games.

“Right now, I’m focusing on these mini camps. I’m just about to focus all in on the Summer League, try my best to make it to the NBA,” he said.

“After the Summer League, I’m pretty much focused on the World Cup.”

Sotto, the tallest player in the Philippines’ 21-man World Cup pool, said it is a “big deal” to represent the country in the global hoops showdown.

“As a 21-year-old basketball player, I think it’s going to be the biggest opportunity, biggest challenge, the highest level that I’m about to play so far in my career,” said Sotto.

“The best of the best in the world will be there playing,” he added. “It gives me chills every time I think about it. Just very excited.” – Rappler.com

Hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1978, the Philippines looks to shatter the FIBA all-time attendance record as it faces Dominican Republic for its Group A opener at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan on August 25.

The current FIBA record is the 32,616-strong crowd that watched Team USA, then led by NBA stars Shaquille O’Neal, Dominique Wilkins, and Reggie Miller, coast to a 137-91 rout of Russia in the 1994 World Cup title game.

“What we would like to do is to break the record of 32,000-plus attendance in a FIBA game,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio during a Senate presentation late last year.

Shattering that record should be an achievable feat at the 55,000-seater venue.

Just last January, a PBA record 54,589 fans watched Barangay Ginebra beat guest team Bay Area Dragons, 114-99, in Game 7 of the Commissioners Cup finals at the Philippine Arena.

But Gilas Pilipinas gets only one crack at the record as it plays the rest of its group stage matches at the Araneta Coliseum.

To encourage fans to watch on August 25, the World Cup local organizing committee will launch an Independence Day ticket promo that offers a five-day pass package, with the customers getting the fifth day pass for free.

Only category 4 upper box and category 5 general admission seats are included in the promo, which will run from June 12 to June 16. Tickets are available for purchase online at https://philippines-ticketing.worldcup.basketball/

Gilas Pilipinas banks on its home court advantage as it eyes a top-two finish in Group A, also comprised of Italy and Angola, in a bid to reach the second round. – Rappler.com

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Clarkson, Brownlee, Kouame vie for spot as Gilas unveils 21-man pool for FIBA World Cup

Assistant coach Tim Cone said his time with the Heat has come in handy as the national team draws inspiration from the three-time NBA champion franchise in its buildup for the FIBA World Cup.

Cone joined the Miami coaching staff for the NBA Summer League last year, picking up valuable lessons after getting a first-hand experience of the famed Heat culture.

“We have brought a lot of things, especially techniques, that I observed, and we brought that to the Gilas team,” Cone told One News’ Thought Leaders with Cathy Yang program. “We have kind of changed the way we defend.”

“They’re a really get-up-in-your-face kind of team. I actually haven’t been that way, but I learned to be a little bit more like that. We brought it to Gilas and Chot (Reyes) has really embraced it as well. We learned from them.”

When the World Cup tips off in August, Gilas looks to defy the odds just like what Miami has done in the current NBA season.

Clinching the last playoff berth in the Eastern Conference after surviving the play-in tournament, the Heat became the first No. 8 seed since the 1999 New York Knicks to reach the NBA Finals.

Miami stunned No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, toppled No. 5 Knicks in the second round, and outlasted No. 2 Boston Celtics in the East finals to set up a championship duel with West top seed Denver Nuggets.

In the World Cup, the Philippines – ranked No. 40 in the world – eyes a top-two finish in Group A against No. 10 Italy, No. 23 Dominican Republic, and No. 41 Angola to advance to the next round.

“The Heat is such a character-driven organization, they base everything on what they call Heat culture,” said Cone.

“Everything they do, the discipline that they have, it’s really phenomenal, it’s almost off the charts. They’ve always been known as one of the best or premier defensive teams in the league.”

“They take defense first, they play defense first, which goes right along with my own personal philosophy. It was just really beautiful for me to be a part of that process.”

Starting its training camp on Wednesday, June 7, the national team is set for a European trip to face teams from Estonia, Finland, and Lithuania in a series of tuneup games over the next two months. – Rappler.com

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Clarkson, Brownlee, Kouame vie for spot as Gilas unveils 21-man pool for FIBA World Cup

But the winningest PBA coach said qualifying for the Paris Games is the target as the Philippines tries to finish as the highest-placed Asian squad in the World Cup, a feat that guarantees a spot in the Olympics next year.

“We’re not going to win the World Cup, that’s for sure,” Cone told One News’ Thought Leaders with Cathy Yang. “We’re not going to beat the Dream Team or Greece with Giannis Antetokounmpo or Slovenia with Luka Doncic.”

“We’re not going to beat those teams, but our goal in the World Cup, if we finish as the best Asian team in the World Cup, then we automatically qualify for the Olympics. That’s really the goal.”

Drawn in Group A with world No. 10 Italy, No. 23 Dominican Republic, and No. 41 Angola, Gilas Pilipinas is the only Asian team bunched with just one top 20 nation.

China, Iran, Japan, Lebanon, and Jordan are all grouped with two top 20 squads.

Iran, which qualified for the Tokyo Games as the best-placed Asian team in the 2019 World Cup in China, will go up against No. 1 Spain and No. 13 Brazil in Group G.

China is with No. 6 Serbia and No. 20 Puerto Rico in Group B; Jordan with No. 2 USA and No. 9 Greece in Group C; Japan with No. 3 Australia and No. 11 Germany in Group E; and Lebanon with No. 5 France and No. 15 Canada in Group H.

To boost its Olympic chances, the Philippines eyes a top-two finish in its group to advance to the second round.

It will not be a walk in the park, though, as Gilas Pilipinas lost to all of its three opponents in Group A in their previous encounters.

The Philippines absorbed a 46-point beating from Italy and suffered an overtime loss to Angola in the last World Cup and fell to Dominican Republic by 27 points in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament two years ago.

But Cone said the national team is capable of making a splash with the right pieces.

“As long as we have all the players, Kai Sotto, Jordan Clarkson… Dwight Ramos, we get the team that we envisioned, that we’ve been working with… we can be competitive and we might be able to do something,” he said.

Kicking off its World Cup preparations on Wednesday, June 7, Gilas Pilipinas is scheduled for a European camp to face teams from Finland, Estonia, and Lithuania over the next two months. – Rappler.com

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Clarkson, Brownlee, Kouame vie for spot as Gilas unveils 21-man pool for FIBA World Cup

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) on Tuesday, June 6, unveiled the 21-man pool from which the 12-man lineup will be selected for the global hoops showdown set to be hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.

Jordan Clarkson, Justin Brownlee, and Angelo Kouame will vie for the lone naturalized player spot as the national team ramps up its preparations with less than three months to go before the World Cup tips off on August 25.

Clarkson supposedly has the inside track for the position owing to his impressive body of work with the Utah Jazz in the NBA, but as head coach Chot Reyes said in the past, no one is a lock for the final roster.

Kai Sotto also headlines the pool featuring a mix of PBA stars and overseas Filipino imports amid concerns regarding his availability for the World Cup.

The 7-foot-3 Sotto, who last donned the national colors in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in November, is expected to miss the start of Gilas Pilipinas’ training camp as he pursues his NBA dream in the United States.

Gilas Pilipinas, though, does not lack size as it tapped 6-foot-10 AJ Edu, who last played for the University of Toledo in the US NCAA, 6-foot-10 June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel, and 6-foot-9 Japeth Aguilar of Barangay Ginebra.

Aguilar and Fajardo both look to see action in the World Cup for the third straight edition after representing the country in Spain in 2014 and in China in 2019.

Filipino standouts from the Japan B. League make up a huge chunk of the pool as the national team enlisted mainstays Dwight Ramos, Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena, Jordan Heading, Carl Tamayo, and Ray Parks.

Meanwhile, Rhenz Abando is the only Filipino import from the Korean Basketball League to crack the pool after a stellar campaign that saw him help the Anyang KGC win the championship.

Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson and Jamie Malonzo, TNT’s Roger Pogoy, Calvin Oftana, and Poy Erram, San Miguel’s CJ Perez, and Meralco’s Chris Newsome complete the pool. 

Training camp begins on Wednesday, with Gilas Pilipinas scheduled to take a trip to Europe, where it will face teams from Finland, Estonia, and Lithuania in the next two months.

Bunched in Group A with Italy, Dominican Republic, and Angola, the Philippines will shoot for a top-two finish in order to reach the second round. – Rappler.com

Clinching elusive Olympic berth the goal for Gilas Pilipinas in FIBA World Cup

But the 7-foot-3 giant said he has not turned down an opportunity to don the national colors amid growing concerns over his availability for the global hoops showdown to be hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia in August.

“I never said no to representing my country,” said Sotto in an interview teaser released by the Power and Play with Noli Eala program of Radyo Singko.

“I’ve been playing for my country ever since I was 14 years old. I don’t get what other people are saying about me not wanting to join, blah, blah, blah.”

Sotto has not played for the national team since the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers last November.

He skipped the sixth and final window that featured a pair of home games in February despite what Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes said was a “very good offer” presented by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to Sotto.

Reyes then said the national team is open to the possibility of naturalizing a big man if Sotto is unavailable for the World Cup.

But Sotto said suiting up for Gilas Pilipinas is at the top of his list.

“I never said no to playing for my country because that’s my dream ever since I started playing basketball,” he said. “My top two dreams: to make it to the NBA and represent the national team.”

Sotto recently participated in a mini camp by the Utah Jazz, the team of Filipino-American star Jordan Clarkson, who is tipped to reinforce the national team in the World Cup.

Gilas Pilipinas will begin training for the World Cup on Wednesday, June 7. – Rappler.com

It will be a hard decision for Chot Reyes and his coaching staff as they choose between the two stars who will occupy Gilas Pilipinas’ lone naturalized player spot for the FIBA World Cup.

Reyes said Clarkson and Brownlee give the national team different looks as they thrive in varying play styles, with the Barangay Ginebra import more involved on defense and the Utah Jazz ace being a more prolific scorer.

“Obviously Justin has a better chemistry with the locals, he’s played here longer. I think in terms of being able to do other things, Justin has a slight edge,” Reyes told the Power and Play with Noli Eala program of Radyo Singko.

Brownlee has been a consistent offensive threat in the PBA as he averaged at least 25 points in 9 of the 10 conferences he reinforced the Gin Kings.

Reyes, however, noted that Brownlee has yet to show he can put up the same numbers against top-caliber defensive opponents, who await Gilas Pilipinas in the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Clarkson is a bona fide scorer as he normed a career-high 20.8 points on top of 4.4 assists and 4 rebounds in the 2022-23 NBA season.

“We haven’t seen Justin’s ability to score against top-flight, tall, defensive teams and defensive oppositions, which we know Jordan can. He scores 30, 40 points in the NBA,” said Reyes.

“We know that Jordan will get us points, will get us buckets. We’ve seen also that when we asked Jordan when we had him here, he was very comfortable with our defensive schemes.”

“He showed a great willingness to play defense. Maybe not in the mold of a Justin Brownlee, but I think defensively, there’s very little difference.”

The choice will come down to what the national team needs the most.

“I think the bigger thing is Justin just allows us to be more versatile because he can play the four spot,” Reyes said.

“Jordan, on the other hand, can play not only the two and three spots, but he can also be our backup point guard. That also gives us a different look, a different dimension.”

Reyes said Brownlee is set to join Gilas Pilipinas at the start of its World Cup training on June 7, while Clarkson is expected to be available in July as his camp remains in talks with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas. – Rappler.com

After a successful redemption campaign in the Southeast Asian Games, head coach Chot Reyes said the national team will begin training on June 7 for the global hoops showdown, which will tip off in three months on August 25.

“We’re going to play in a pocket tournament in Estonia to play against the Estonian national team and Finland, which is a very good tuneup for us,” Reyes told the Power and Play program of Radyo Singko.

Finland, expected to be led by NBA star Lauri Markkanen, advanced to the World Cup as well.

Reyes added the squad will also have stops in Lithuania, and possibly, Latvia – two nations that also qualified for the World Cup to be co-hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.

Lithuania will play in Group D in the Philippines, Finland will see action in Group E in Japan, and Latvia will compete in Group H in Indonesia.

“We’re going to go to Lithuania, hopefully get a stopover in Latvia in Riga to play Latvia. Unfortunately, the Lithuanian national team will not be available while we’re there,” said Reyes.

“But we’re trying to get a game against their under-21 team, whom we played already before in 2014. They’re a very strong team. Some of their top-ranked club teams as well who are also very strong teams.”

After the Europe trip that will run until July, Reyes said the team will return to the Philippines and gear up for a potential tiff in China just before the World Cup.

“We have another tournament that is shaping up sometime in August in China, we have another invitation,” Reyes said. “But those are not final. We will make the announcements when all of those become finalized.”

Bunched in Group A with Italy, Dominican Republic, and Angola, Gilas Pilipinas looks to redeem itself after going winless and winding up dead last out of the 32 participating countries in the previous World Cup in China.

Reyes said reaching the second round would be a successful campaign since it would put the Philippines in prime position to finish as the best-placed Asian team, which merits a slot in the Paris Olympics. – Rappler.com

After going unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft, Sotto is giving his NBA dream another shot as he is set to play in the 2023 NBA Summer League, which will take place from July 7 to 17 at Las Vegas.

“I would continue on training in the US and play in the NBA Summer League. Hopefully I do well to get an invite on an NBA team,” Sotto told Rappler in an exclusive interview arranged by PUMA Philippines. 

Sotto reportedly received several invites to last year’s NBA Summer League shortly after going undrafted, but decided to pass up on the opportunity.

This year, the 7-foot-3 Sotto is more than ready to showcase his talents in front of NBA scouts, coaches, and executives after honing his skills all year round in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, the National Basketball League in Australia, and the Japan B. League. 

Sotto, who averaged a decent stat line of 6.8 points on 51% shooting, 4.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 27 games with the Adelaide 36ers in the 2022-2023 NBL season, put up bigger numbers of 9.5 points on 52.3% shooting, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 blocks in 21 games with Hiroshima in the B. League. 

Sotto recently signed a contract extension with the Dragonflies for the 2023-2024 B. League season that includes an opt-out clause in case he gets acquired by an NBA team after the Summer League. 

‘Biggest sport event’

Aside from his much-awaited Summer League stint, Sotto also expressed his desire to play for Gilas Pilipinas in the upcoming FIBA World Cup, which the Philippines will co-host with Japan and Indonesia from August 25 to September 10.

Owning home-court advantage, Gilas Pilipinas will go up against Italy, Dominican Republic, and Angola in the group stage of the quadrennial affair.

“I never said no on playing for my country and I’ve always been vocal about it,” said Sotto.

“It might be the biggest sport event in Philippine history so it will be very special if I get to play and represent my country,” added Sotto of the World Cup. 

Dream come true 

Just a month ago, Sotto officially became the first-ever Filipino brand ambassador of global sportswear giant PUMA.

It was a dream come true for the 21-year-old Sotto, who is now dead set on turning his biggest dream of becoming the first full-blooded Filipino NBA player into a reality.

Sotto joined NBA stars such as LaMelo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, RJ Barrett, Deandre Ayton, Dennis Schroder, and Marcus Smart as endorsers of the brand.

“It’s a huge blessing to be a global brand ambassador of PUMA. And being the first Filipino hooper to be one is very special because it’s been a dream of mine to be one,” said Sotto.

“PUMA is such a big, successful brand and I’m just happy to be part of it.” – Rappler.com