Gilas Pilipinas Youth official tempers expectations in FIBA U19 WC

An official of the Gilas Pilipinas Youth team tempered expectations about the coming FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Heraklion, Greece.

Team manager Andrew Teh said that although the team is seen as one of the tallest in recent history, he stressed that height isn’t the only factor for winning.

“Dito sa Pilipinas, height yung kulang sa atin lagi. But this time, we really have some height. But again, it’s not only height that can win you games. It’s the team play,” said Teh last Tuesday, June 18 in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Amelie Hotel Manila.

The team will parade 7-foot-2 Kai Sotto and two 6-foot-10 players in AJ Edu and Geo Chiu, and 6-foot-8 Carl Tamayo.

“So it’s not just about the height, although with height you have a good advantage (against the other). We just have to use that as a tool for us to become a better team,” said Teh.

The team leaves on June 27 for Greece via Qatar for the competition. Gilas Pilipinas Youth is bracketed in Group C where they will face Greece on June 29, Argentina on June 30, and Russia on July 2.

PHOTO: PSA Facebook page