Coach Rajko Toroman sees it as a way to build confidence.
The Smart Gilas National team chose to join Group A, composed of Jordan-ASU, Japan, Malaysia and possibly Kazakhstan or Afghanistan, in the upcoming 22nd FIBA-Asia Champions Cup.
As the host nation, the Philippines was given the privilege of picking a group after eight of nine balls were already drawn. Coach Toroman, after seeing four heavyweight Middle Eastern teams grouped together in Group, decided to join what he considers to be the "easier" group.
Group B is composed of Lebanon, Qatar Al-Rayyan, United Arab Emirates Al Shabab and three-time defending champion Iran-Mahram and Syria.
With this decision, the Smart Gilas team hopes to encounter smooth sailings until the semifinal round, when they will finally have to face one of the region's top teams in Iran, Lebanon, Qatar or Syria.
The FIBA-Asia Champions Cup allow teams to have 2 imports. After the singel round robin phase, the top 2 teams in each bracket meet in a do-or-die crossover match. Winners then move on to the winner-take-all championship round.
More on this story, here.
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