Push Admin

FIBA: With days to go ahead of World Cup, Gilas fully focused on Italy

Article (news)

Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/sports/08/28/20190825-gilas-basketball-tuneup-md-1md_3100.jpg"/><figcaption>Gilas Pilipinas huddles after a tune-up game against the Adeilaide 36ers. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA, Philippines -- With just two days left before the Philippines plunges into action in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the team&#x27;s concentration is fully on its first game against Italy.</p><p>Coach Yeng Guiao said they have &quot;tunnel vision&quot; with regards to their schedule in Group D, as all of their focus is on their match-up against the Italians on August 31 at the Foshan International Sports and Cultural Arena.</p><p>&quot;Right now, we&#x27;re really focused on scouting the Italians first. Naka-tunnel vision kami kasi we feel that that&#x27;s going to be our most important game, the Italy game. So, all our resources in terms of scouting, in terms of the time, has been focused on that,&quot; said Guiao. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7LKDX3jfVJA?enablejsapi=1"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>This does not mean that they have not done their homework on the other members of their group, namely powerhouse Serbia and Angola. But Guiao said they have not talked about those games with the team, as they might distract Gilas Pilipinas from the task at hand.</p><p>&quot;Wala pa kaming ini-input na scheme or game plan for Serbia, wala pa rin sa Angola. Might just be distractions at this point, because we feel that the most important game we will play will be the Italy game,&quot; he said. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/gilas/news/2019/08/28/fiba-gilas-leaves-world-cup-ready-can-60347">READ: Gilas Pilipinas leaves for World Cup as ready as it can be</a></li></ul><p>Italy is ranked 13th in the world, and features a strong roster that includes Marco Belinelli of the San Antonio Spurs, Danilo Gallinari of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Luigi Datome of Fenerbahce. The last two players, in particular, have given Guiao reason to be concerned.</p><p>&quot;We liked our chances better when Galinari and Datome were not playing. Now we know they&#x27;re playing because the scouting reports provided us told us that they were already suited up, they were playing,&quot; he said. </p><p>&quot;So ano na, lumalim na &#x27;yung bench nila. Their bench got deeper, and it got deeper with quality players, NBA players,&quot; he added.</p><p>Thus, for all of Gilas&#x27; improvements over the past couple of months, Italy remains the bigger, more talented team, and Guiao knows it will take nothing less than their best just to stay within striking distance of the European powerhouse.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re just hoping that we perform close to our best when we play on Saturday,&quot; he said. </p><p>&quot;To me, it&#x27;s really a question of execution on Saturday. If we execute well and we see the effort&#x27;s there, we should have a chance against Italy,&quot; he also said.</p><p>Gilas Pilipinas is set to arrive in Foshan, China on Thursday. </p><div><strong>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a></strong><br/> </div>

<p>With just two days left before the Philippines plunges into action in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the team's concentration is fully on its first game against Italy.<br /> </p>

With just two days left before the Philippines plunges into action in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the team's concentration is fully on its first game against Italy.

FIBA: With days to go ahead of World Cup, Gilas fully focused on Italy

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Sports

FIBA: With days to go ahead of World Cup, Gilas fully focused on Italy

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 28, 2019 05:27 PM PHT

|

Updated August 28, 2019 09:34 PM PHT

Read More:

FIBA

FIBA World Cup

Gilas Pilipinas

basketball

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.