Italy has been on a remarkable streak in its preparation for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
Ranked 10th in the world, the Azzurri secured victories over Turkey (80-98 OT) and China (79-61) to sweep the Trentino Cup earlier this month.
Just last week, Italy pulled off surprising wins against Serbia (89-88) and Greece (74-70), completing a sweep of the 32nd Aegean Acropolis Tournament.
A mere couple of days ago, Italy convincingly defeated Puerto Rico, prevailing 98-65 in an official friendly match.
Gilas head coach Chot Reyes has reviewed footage of Italy’s games and is relieved that his team will only face them on the third day of the competition.
He remarked after the relaunch of the ‘Puso to the Max’ campaign of Max’s Restaurant, “Italy is Italy, and we are all well aware of the quality of that team. Fortunately, they are our third game, and our primary focus is on the first game against the Dominican Republic.”
The Italian team is indeed loaded, led by Simone Fontecchio.
Reyes added, “We have substantial knowledge about many of their players, such as [Luigi] Datome, [Nicolo] Melli, and [Simone] Fontecchio, who have NBA experience. That’s something we will also address.”
However, Gilas’ initial match in the tournament will be against the Dominican Republic, featuring Karl Anthony Towns.
Despite Gilas fielding a team with taller players compared to the Dominican team faced during the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, with 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto and 6-foot-11 AJ Edu manning the frontline, it will still pose a challenge for the Philippines to contain a player of Towns’ caliber.
“I don’t think there are many players, even in the NBA, who can successfully defend against KAT one-on-one.”
Angola, Gilas’ second opponent, has yet to finalize its roster of 12 players.
Certainly, the games against the Dominican Republic and Angola hold significant importance, as they are likely to determine whether Gilas advances to the next round or falls into the classification phase.
