Gilas faces ultimate test in 4-team joust

MANILA, Philippines - Gilas Pilipinas finally gets the test that could gauge its form and competiveness for the FIBA World Cup and the Asian Games as Team Phl tangles with the national teams of France, Australia and Ukraine in a three-day pocket tournament in Antibes, France beginning Aug. 15 (tomorrow in Manila).

The Nationals take on the French on opening day, the Aussies on Saturday then the Ukrainians Saturday in this major French trade hub, the training center of the French national basketball team.

The tournament features four teams all bound for the Spanish world meet that fires off in two weeks. They, however, won’t meet in the World Cup until possibly in the knockout stage since the Philippines is playing in Group B, France in Group A, Ukraine in Group C and Australia in Group D.

Coach Chot Reyes looks forward to this event where Gilas really gets a taste of the kind of competition it will encounter in Spain.

The Filipinos have never played a high-rank national team since a tune-up match with the New Zealand squad during their buildup for the Asian world qualifier last year.

As the FIBA Euro champs and ranked eighth in the world, the French are the favorites in this Antibes joust.

Minus the injury-stricken Tony Parker, France still has six NBA players in its roster in Nicolas Batum (Portland), Nando de Colo (Toronto), Boris Diaw (San Antonio), Evan Fournier (Denver), Rudy Gobert (Utah) and Ian Mahinmi (Indiana).

The French boast of an average height of 6-foot-6 and average age of 26.

With Andray Blatche and Marcus Douthit, Gilas Pilipinas is listed with an average height of 6-foot-4 and average age of 30.

Australia, the FIBA Oceania champ, is even taller than France with an average height of 6-7.

Ranked No. 9 in the world, the Aussies are bannered by Chicago Bull Cameron Bairstow, San Antonio Spur Aron Baynes, Cleveland Cavalier Matthew Dellavedova and Utah Jazz Dante Exum.

Ukraine is the lowest ranked team in this Antibes competition at its No. 45 FIBA ranking.

But coach Mike Fratello’s team surely can compete with a lineup led by Phoenix Suns’ 6-foot-11 center Viacheslav Kravtsov.

One of the major teams emerging from the division of the Soviet Union national basketball team, Ukraine qualified for its first FIBA World Cup by topping Italy in fight for sixth place in the last FIBA Europe championship.

After the Antibes pocket tourney, Gilas Pilipinas flies back to Spain to play five more games before traveling to Seville for the world meet.

The Filipinos play Euskadi in San Sebastian on Aug. 19, Angola also in San Sebastian on Aug. 21, Mexico in Vittoria on Aug. 23, Dominican Republic in Guadalajara on Aug. 24 and Egypt also in Guadalajara on Aug. 25.