Stage set for David vs Goliath

Young Gilas vs Serbia’s big boys

MANILA, Philippines — Like school boys moving up, Gilas Pilipinas’ youth brigade eagerly looks forward to playing with the big boys in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia.

After tangling with the likes of South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand, the Gilas young guns jump to the global arena with a gigantic meeting with world No. 5 Serbia set tomorrow (Manila time) and the Dominican Republic, ranked 19th, on Friday.

“We didn’t really expect to be here but we’re very excited,” said Gilas skipper Isaac Go, whose team got in after New Zealand withdrew from the Tokyo-qualifying meet.

Go and Co. are making their first foray in the global arena.  That is, if you don’t count the stint of former age-groupers Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo and Geo Chiu in the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Greece.

“We’re really excited to take the floor on the world stage. This is a whole new level. There’s a mystery to it for a lot of us so we’re thrilled to play and learn from this experience,” said Go.

The Gilas boys get their baptism of fire against Rio Olympics silver-winning Serbia, the heavy favorites headlined by NBA talents Boban Marjanovic (Dallas) and Nemanja Blejica (Miami), Euro League MVP Vasilije Micic, and veterans Milos Teodosic and Stefan Jovic.

“Even without Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic, I see a world-class team,” said Gilas coach Tab Baldwin, who described Serbia as one of the Top 3 teams in the world.

“This is a country that continuously produces great players and great teams and the best coaches in the world. When you put all that together, you should expect an extremely high-caliber basketball team,” he added.

Gilas’ main goal in the Group A match set 2:15 a.m. (Manila time) is to “compete and fight for every possession.”

This the Filipinos will have to do while battling injuries. Guard Dwight Ramos (groin) is doubtful for the games while frontliners Ange Kouame (bruised knee) and Tamayo (ankle) are expected to play through pain.

Gilas seeks to take advantage of its first-day bye today to prepare better and scout Igor Kokoskov’s charges as well as the Dominican Republic. The Serbians and the Dominicans open OQT hostilities today at 2:15 a.m. (Manila time).