ALLAN THE MAN

For the Philippine national basketball team (Gilas Pilipinas),  it’s home away from home in Spain where Gilas will play at the FIBA World Cup starting Aug. 30 after a 36-year absence from the global stage. The estimate is about 5,000 Filipinos will storm the stands at the 7,000-seat Palacio Municipal de Deportes San Pablo in Seville for the Group B round-robin competition involving Croatia, Greece, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Senegal and the Philippines.

Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos Salinas said some 40,000 to 50,000 Filipinos live in Spain and he plans to mobilize the residents to cheer for Gilas in Seville. If the Philippines finishes in the top four of Group B, Gilas will advance to the next round in Madrid.

Gilas Pilipinas forward Marc Pingris said he is not intimidated by France’ imposing size nor by its lineup of NBA stars, pointing out that basketball is not played man for man but is a five-man game. 

“Laro lang, di naman ako mag-isa maglalaro. Lima kami, so usap na lang sa depensa sa loob,” Pingris told Spin ahead of Gilas' match against France kicking off of the 2014 Antibes International Basketball Tournament on Friday (Saturday Manila time) at the Azur Arena in Antibes, France. 

The Philippine national youth basketball team looked impressive in mounting a late challenge but ultimately fell short against Argentina, 84-71, in the classification round of the FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Dubai, UAE.

The Batang Gilas team dropped a fifth straight assignment but gave a glimpse of some of their finest play so far after connecting on seven three-pointers in the fourth quarter to give their South Americans foes a late scare.

WATCH ARGENTINA vs PHILIPPINES REPLAY VIDEO BELOW:

Despite handing the Philippines a 60-point loss, members of the United States national youth basketball team lauded Batang Gilas for their gallant showing in the FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Dubai, UAE.

The Americans crushed the Filipinos, 124-64, in a group match last Monday. Batang Gilas went on to bow out of contention after being beaten by France, 86-57, in the Round of 16 last Tuesday.

2014 FIBA U17 World Championship FREE LIVESTREAM: Batang Gilas vs Argentina. Classification game for Rank No.9 - No.16.

Can anybody beat the United States? That's the main question going into the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship (8-16 August) as the USA go for a third straight title in the third edition of the event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

The Americans actually haven't lost in the history of the competition, twice going 8-0 in taking the hardware in 2010 in Hamburg and 2012 in Kaunas.