Chot Reyes says Gilas' Olympics hopes 'still alive' despite 0-2 FIBA World Cup slate

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes refused to dwell on the current 0-2 win-loss slate of the team in Group A of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, putting premium on the fact that their hopes for a slot at the 2024 Paris Olympics is still alive.

Seven tickets to the Summer Games are at stake in the ongoing global cagefest, one is allocated each to Asia, Africa, and Oceania while the Americas and Europe get two slots each.

The Philippines can book a ticket to the Paris Games if they finish as the best Asian team in the World Cup.

But after Gilas Pilipinas' loss to Angola on Sunday and a surprise win by Japan over Finland in Okinawa, the race to be the top Asian team just favored the Akatsuki Five.

Still, Reyes said the hope is still alive for the Philippines.

"We just need to focus on the next game," Reyes said in the post-game press conference.

"The objective is to get to the Olympics, so no matter how flickering that hope is, that hope is still alive. So we still have to keep our heads up and find a way to play our best in the next game."

Read more | FIBA World Cup Preview: A Serbian correspondent breaks down Gilas Pilipinas vs Italy

Japan is the only Asian team that has won a game so far in the World Cup as China, Jordan, Iran, are all 0-1 in their respective groups while Lebanon, like Gilas, is 0-2.

Gilas will need to win against Italy on Tuesday and hope the Japanese team loses to Australia to draw even in wins. They'll also need to hope none of the other Asian teams reach two wins.

"It is [still alive]. We hope Japan loses its last game and we win our last game then it’s all tied. I don’t know how they are going to break that tie, but in the end, it’s going to be dependent, I think, on the other games," Reyes added.

"It’s not going to be in our hands. The only thing that’s within our control right now is the next game. We can’t worry about the other things going on."

Gilas is also mathematically still in the race to advance from Group A to the second round, depending on the results of the group's next game day on Tuesday.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News