GILAS Pilipinas Head Coach Tab Baldwin said no team was spared of a tough competition in the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), which will be held in three cities, including one in Manila, in July.
The so-called Group of Death was evident in all groups after Fiba completed the draw early Wednesday morning in Mies, Switzerland.
“There’s no such thing as an easy group. Every group is a group of death,” Baldwin said.
The Philippines was bracketed in Group B along with world No. 5 France and New Zealand, while Group A was made up of Canada, Senegal and Turkey. The six teams will play in the Manila OQT, where the champion goes straight to the Rio Olympics.
In the Belgrade OQT, host Serbia was joined by Angola and Puerto Rico in Group A, while Japan, the Czech Republic and Latvia made up Group B. Host Italy landed in Group B of the Turin qualifier along with Tunisia and Croatia, while Greece, Mexico and Iran were in Group A.
“If you look at the other groups, they are also strong basketball countries and we’re not the only one which will encounter strong opposition. That’s why we need to prepare hard,” he added.
The Philippines will meet France on July 5 and New Zealand on July 6 at the Mall of Asia Arena. The detailed schedule of the matches were not yet released. The top 2 in each group move on to the crossover semifinals with the survivors clashing in the finals for the lone Olympic berth.
Baldwin was aware of the quality of the teams in the Manila OQT, particularly those with National Basketball Association (NBA) players.
“Most countries have no final lineup yet, but we already have ideas on who we will be playing,” Baldwin added.
The American-Kiwi mentor said training will resume on February 15 and will go full blast in May, when the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) season is over.