MANILA, Philippines — The battlefield – and the stacked opposition on the way – is set for the Gilas Pilipinas youth in its anticipated return to the FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey on June 29 to July 7.
Gilas Youth has been bracketed in the powerhouse Group A with Spain, Puerto Rico and Lithuania as per the official draw of the 16-team world joust this week in Istanbul.
Ranked world No. 25, Gilas Youth faces a tall task against the three Top 15 squads in world No. 2 Spain, No. 7 Lithuania and No. 15 Puerto Rico.
All three opponents also finished at the podium in the last three editions with Spain placing as a runner-up to world No. 1 USA in 2022.