Gilas U18 begins Asian Championship stint against Syria

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas U18 begins a new era with a clash against Syria in the opener of the FIBA U18 Asian Championship Sunday at the Azadi Basketball Hall in Tehran, Iran.

Action kicks off at 7:15 p.m. (Manila time) with the Filipino teens looking for a start with flying colors as Asian youth tilt returns to action for the first time amid the pandemic.

Aside from Syria, Gilas will take on Qatar and Chinese Taipei in Group C Monday and on Tuesday, respectively, with hopes of finishing in the Top Two to advance in the quarterfinals.

Other groups feature host Iran, Japan and Lebanon in Group A as well as China, South Korea and India in Group B.

Leading the Nationals are 6-foot-7 Filipino-Australian Mason Amos and Kyle Gamber from Ateneo as well as La Salle’s Mur Alao and EJ Abadam.

The new Gilas faces a daunting task of replicating the success of previous U18 teams led by Kai Sotto, who anchored the country’s Final Four finish in the 2018 Asian tilt and FIBA U19 World Cup appearance in 2019.

Mentoring the squad is Josh Reyes, who also coached the Gilas U16 team in its own return last month.

Under Reyes, Gilas U16 finished in seventh place in the comeback of Asian U16 joust in Doha, Qatar.