The Philippines' FIBA Basketball World Cup second round bid got dashed following its 83-90 loss to Italy at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday night, August 29. Italy head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIOGilas Pilipinas' defeat also kept the home team winless in the Group A pool play action at 0-3. Frustrating as the losses might have been especially to Filipino fans, no less than Italy head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco sang praises to his counterpart Chot Reyes and the rest of the Gilas team. Pozzecco said that the despite the losses, Gilas kept in step with the Dominican Republic, Angola, and his team Italy, giving themselves a shot to win all those ball games. For Pozzecco, the Gilas player that stood out to him the most is Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson, not necessarily for his basketball skills but moreso for his unrelenting attitude.

Source: Manila Times August 30, 2023 15:08 UTC