DETOUR: Gilas to take another route in bid to make 2016 Rio Olympics

Jayson Castro dives for the loose ball in their final game against China last Saturday.
fiba.com

Though the Gilas Pilipinas failed to gain an outright slot in the Rio Olympics after finishing in second place to hosts China in the 2015 Fiba Asia Men’s Championship which ended on Saturday, the beloved national team still has a shot – albeit a much tougher one – as they head to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament which will be held in three different cities on July 4 to 10, 2016.
The Gilas fought valiantly but ultimately could not overcome “The Great Wall” formed by China’s humongous frontline and tumbled down, 67-78, in the finals of the aforementioned tournament on Saturday night.
Still, hope springs eternal for the Philippines as it seeks to make it back to the quadrennial competition it last saw action in back in 1972 during the Olympics that was held in Munich, Germany.
But the road will not be an easy one as 15 teams from all over the world have already earned spots in the qualifier. Under the new format approved by the Fiba Central Committee last Aug. 18, teams will be divided into three groups of six for three separate qualifiers to be staged just weeks before the Aug. 5 to 21 basketball tournament in Rio de Janeiro.
Aside from the Philippines, Japan and Iran, also making it to the qualifying tournament are France, Serbia, Greece, Italy and Czech Republic from Europe; Angola, Tunisia and Senegal from Africa; Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico from the Americas; and New Zealand from Oceania. Three more teams will be added to the roster of squads, most likely, the host countries of the qualifying tournaments. The top teams in each group will make it to the Olympics.
The Gilas  got some good news over the weekend as the Los Angeles Lakers’ Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson reiterated his commitment to suiting up for the Philippines if given clearance by Fiba.
There are concerns, however, to the availability of naturalized player Andray Blatche as he is set to play for his team in the Chinese Basketball Association during that time.