ALLAN THE MAN

Head coach Chot Reyes is one with his Gilas Pilipinas team in hoping that the Philippines will be bracketed with defending champion Team USA in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

“Yun sana. Maka-bracket sana natin ang team USA,” said the only five-time PBA Coach of the Year as he looks forward to the Philippines' first appearance in the world championships since 1978.

The tournament field is filling up for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

At the AfroBasket in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, over the weekend, champions Angola, runners-up Egypt and third-place Senegal all booked their places in next year's hoops extravaganza over the weekend.

Since 1986, the Angolans have only once missed taking part in a FIBA World Championship.

National coach Chot Reyes wants Gilas Pilipinas to have at least a three-month preparation as it gears up for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

“At least, three months (ang ideal) syempre. Dati ganun rin hiningi ko (for the Fiba-Asia Championship), pero nabigyan lang tayo ng two months,” Reyes told Spin.ph.

Being one of seven teams that has already qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the Gilas Pilipinas is all geared up for Spain. We look ahead to our competition and (as a basketball-crazy nation) who we're excited to see our players matchup with.

Teams at the world stage pride themselves of a team-first mentality, and as such, there aren't too many players who really stand out. We know some of them though as they have shown their skills in other more popular venues, like the NBA and even the Spanish league.

The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup is more than a year away, but Philippine national men’s basketball coach Chot Reyes has already begun doing his homework.

The brains behind Gilas Pilipinas will embark on a trip to the FIBA AfroBasket 2013 tournament currently ongoing in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan after receiving his travel documents on Thursday.

Gilas Pilipinas now has a different mindset following its sensational second-place finish in the recent FIBA Asia Championship.

National team coach Chot Reyes said they have proven that Gilas can be competitive even when lined up against bigger and taller teams.

The past week, the coaching staff and players of Gilas Pilipinas has been showered with well-deserved accolades for its historic accomplishment in the FIBA-Asia tournament. 

Against all odds, the team finished second and booked a much-appreciated ticket to the World Cup of Basketball in Spain next year. So far, Iran, the Philippines, Korea, the USA and host Spain have qualified. We’ll have to wait for the rest of the 24 slots to be filled.

The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain will be as good a time as any for Japeth Aguilar to show off his skills before scouts and pursue his NBA dream.

That, however, is farthest from his mind right now.

The 6-9 Aguilar, who took time off from the local pro league last year to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA, vowed his focus will be on doing his job for Gilas Pilipinas and not on the numerous scouts that will surely be in the stands when they play in next year's world championships.

National coach Chot Reyes said he will be using the same line-up of the Gilas Pilipinas for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, but he may consider some changes if necessary.

"Of course, I'm going to war with these guys who brought me here," Reyes said in an interview on ANC on Thursday morning.

Gilas Pilipinas, the FIBA Asia runner-up, will not just enjoy the scenery but chase a spot in the second round as it competes with the world’s best in the 17th FIBA World Cup slated Aug. 30 to Sept. 14 in six major cities in Spain next year.

“I think we can win games there, but it depends on the draw. It’s hard to make the second round. It’s tight,” said Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes.

Everyone's still on a high from Gilas Pilipinas' silver medal finish in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. But not only has our team delivered, but from what I can see, so have our organizers.

If you'll recall, Lebanon was supposed to host this event, but FIBA moved it to the Philippines because nearby Syria was, and still is, embroiled in a nasty civil war. It turned out to be an even better move since Lebanon was suspended by FIBA and their team forbidden from playing in the Asian championship.

Jimmy Alapag may have promised to retire from international competitions, but he wouldn't miss Gilas Pilipinas’ most important competition for anything in the world.

The 35-year-old play maker, who keyed Gilas’ most important plays against Korea, said he wanted to be with the Nationals when they campaign in the Basketball World Cup 2014 in Spain.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kobe Bryant had a definitive answer when asked if he's going to suit up for the United States team that will play in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

"No," was the response given by Bryant.

FIBA released the system of competition for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup which will be held in Spain on August 30 - September 14, 2014. Iran, Philippines and South Korea will represent the Asian region in the Basketball World Cup.

Preliminary Round:

The twenty-four (24) participating teams will be divided into four (4) groups (A, B, C, D) of six (6) teams each. Each team will play all the other teams in its own group (total of five [5] games for each team).