Long time coming

It’s been almost 40 years since the Philippines ruled the FIBA Asia Cup and the last championship came in Ipoh, Malaysia, in 1986 when the tournament was called the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) Championships. Back then, the top three finishers qualified for the FIBA World Championships, now called FIBA World Cup. Today, the FIBA Asia Cup is no longer a World Cup qualifier but a stand-alone competition for regional supremacy in Asia and Oceania. However, only the 16 teams that make it to the FIBA Asia Cup are eligible to participate in the six-window FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

China has won 16 of 30 FIBA Asia Cups staged since Manila hosted the 1960 inaugural. The Philippines is next on the ladder with five crowns, claiming three of the first four then winning in 1973 and 1986. Iran has taken three titles, South Korea two and Australia two. Australia has bagged the last two crowns or since FIBA merged Asia and Oceania for the FIBA Asia Cup. While Asia and Oceania play under the same continental umbrella in the FIBA Asia Cup, they qualify separately for the Olympics.

Ron Jacobs was the coach who piloted the Philippines to its last FIBA Asia Cup diadem. The victory qualified the Philippines to play at the FIBA World Championships in Spain in 1986 but the EDSA Revolution had an unfortunate effect on the country’s basketball federation which decided to decline its participation. The players on the 1986 squad were Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim, Hector Calma, Franz Pumaren, Elmer Reyes, Alfie Almario, Tonichi Yturri, Jerry Codinera, Pido Jarencio, Benjie Gutierrez, Jeff Moore and Dennis Still. The Philippines racked up a 6-0 record to sweep the competition.

Since the 1986 triumph, the Philippines came closest to repeat twice in 2013 and 2015, finishing second. At the last FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta in 2022, the Philippines wound up ninth with a 1-3 record, losing to Lebanon, New Zealand and Japan while beating only India. The Philippines survived the group stage then was ousted by Japan, 102-81, in the playoff for a quarterfinal slot. The only holdovers from 2022 now on the Gilas lineup at the FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah are Kevin Quiambao and Carl Tamayo.

In Jeddah, the Philippines is bracketed in Group D with Chinese-Taipei, New Zealand and Iraq. After a round-robin, the top placer qualifies straight to the quarterfinals while the second and third placers go through a KO cross-over playoff against the same finishers from Group C which consists of China, Jordan, India and Saudi Arabia. The playoffs for the quarterfinals, quarterfinals, semifinals and final are KO affairs. If Gilas finishes second or third in Group D, it will likely battle Jordan or India for a slot in the quarterfinals.