Gilas squad out to defend homecourt

EVEN as a 29-year-old FIBA Basketball World Cup attendance record begs to be broken, and a revered venue looks to add another milestone to its fabled existence, Gilas Pilipinas will make its way to the 55,000-capacity Philippine Arena on August 25 and the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum on August 27 and 29 with only one thing in mind—defend its homecourt at all cost.

Invading forces will come from far and wide—Dominican Republic from the Caribbean, Angola from the African continent, and Italy from fabulous Europe—with the Philippines, bracketed in Group A, tasked with taking out at least two of the three to stay alive and advance to the second round of the Group Stage where the top two teams from Group B, the United States Dream Team II and Russia at the Skydome in Toronto, Canada – and that would be on Opening Day at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. public holiday for the fans’ convenience. made up of South Sudan, Serbia, China and Puerto Rico, will be waiting.

The standing gate record for a sporting event at the massive edifice is 54,589, a staggering number established during Game 7 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals between Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Bay Area Dragons last January.