FIBA Asia 2013: Quarterfinal and Championship Round Schedule

The second round of competition in the 2013 FIBA Asia tournament concludes today, August 8, 2013. There are six teams each that consist Groups E and F, wherein the Philippines belong to the former together with Chinese Taipei, Japan, Qatar, Hong Kong, and Jordan. Smart Gilas Pilipinas has won two of three games scheduled for the second round after they beat Japan on Monday and handed Qatar its first loss in the tournament via an 80-70 win last night.

Image: sports.inquirer.net

There are still a few games scheduled to be played today, along with Smart Gilas Pilipinas' game against Hong Kong, their last for this round. You can get an idea on how the next round will look like based on the following matchups, which means that every game and point counts because the quotient system will be used to determine how teams are ranked per group and their corresponding opponents for the next round.

Quarterfinals

August 9, 2013, Friday

Group E #5 vs India

Group F #5 vs Hong Kong

Group E #1 vs Kazakhstan 

Group E #3 vs Korea

Group E #2 vs China

Group E #4 vs Iran

August 10, 2013, Saturday

(all pairings are still to be determined based on results of games on Friday, August 9, 2013)

Semifinals (5th-8th)

August 10, Saturday

E1 vs F4 loser vs F2 vs E3 loser

E2 vs F2 loser vs E4 vs F1 loser

Semifinals

August 10, 2013, Saturday

E1 vs F4 winner vs F2 vs E3 winner

E2 vs F2 winner vs E4 vs F1 winner

7th Place

August 11, 2013, Sunday

Classification A 5-8 loser vs Classification B 5-8 loser

5th Place

August 11, 2013, Sunday

Classification A 5-8 winner vs Classification B 5-8 winner

3rd Place

August 11, 2013, Sunday

Semifinal A loser vs Semifinal B loser (SM Mall of Asia Arena)

Final Round

August 11, 2013, Sunday

Semifinal A winner vs Semifinal B winner (SM Mall of Asia Arena)

The scenarios for Smart Gilas Pilipinas as of today look like this:

Win vs Hong Kong (and Chinese Taipei losses to Qatar): They could be #1 in Group E and they are likely to face Kazakhstan in the Quarterfinals round;
Win vs Hong Kong (and Chinese Taipei wins over Qatar): They slide to #2 with Chinese Taipei holding on to #1 and they face China in the Quarterfinals round.
Loss vs Hong Kong (and Qatar wins vs Chinese Taipei): They could possibly be #3, depending on the quotient system as they could fall into a three-way tie with Chinese Taipei and Qatar, they could face South Korea in the Quarterfinals round.

What is your bold prediction for the FIBA Asia 2013 tournament?

FIBA Asia 2013 Schedule for Second Round

On the third day of the ongoing FIBA Asia 2013 tournament, the Smart Gilas Pilipinas suffered their first loss in the tournament in the hands of a red hot Chinese Taipei team. Despite coming into the final quarter with a huge lead, Smart Gilas came off a sluggish start that Chinese Taipei capitalized on by burying a series of outside shots. Eventually, the visitors came up with the win to close the first round with a 3-0 record to lead Group A in standings.

The next round of action kicks off Monday, August 5, 2013, with the remaining teams divided into Groups E and F. If you want to check out the schedule of games for the next round of FIBA Asia 2013 tournamennt, check out below:

Image: 2013 FIBA Asia Championship

What do you think of Smart Gilas Pilipinas' chances coming into the next round?

FIBA Asia 2013 Day 1 Results

Today, the second round of games for the ongoing FIBA Asia 2013 tournament will resume. But if you missed the first day games, don't worry because we've conveniently listed them here for you. Most of the games at Day 1 were held at the SM MoA Arena and others were held at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

China's loss first shocker for ongoing FIBA Asia 2013 tournament held in SM MoA Arena. Image: sports.yahoo.com

Iran (115) def. Malaysia (25)

Iran showed everyone that they were in it for the win by trampling on Malaysia during their respective first matches in the tournament. This isn't surprising, though, given that Iran is a two-time champion but the powerhouse team notably sends a signal to other competing teams that they are serious about their quest for the FIBA Asia championship.

Both Iran and Malaysia are going to face tough opponents in their next round of games wherein Iran will meet with South Korea, as Malaysia faces a tougher opponent in China. Both games will be held today, August 2, 2013.

Chinese Taipei (91) def. Jordan (87)

Contrary to the Iran-Malaysia game, this one was close and highly contested. Chinese Taipei staged a late charge in order to recover from a double-digit deficit it suffered at the third quarter. The Chinese team were still behind during the opening of the final period but their 14-3 run helped to steal the lead from Jordan. Both Jordan and Chinese Taipei are deemed as the toughest competition for the Philippines within Group A.

Qatar (95) def. Japan (94)

Jarvis Hayes, a former NBA player, helped to push Qatar past Japan during its debut at the FIBA Asia 2013 tournament in a close 95-94 win. Hayes had a slow start to his game though but heated up just in time to push his team to its first win. Despite trailing in the third quarter, Qatar forced a 12-2 run to eventually take the lead and never let go of the lead until the final buzzer.

South Korea (63) def. China (59)

So far in the FIBA Asia 2013 tournament, China's loss in its first game is the most shocking turnout. The suffocating defense played by South Korea helped to produce the first shocker in the tournament, which is also evidenced by the low scoring game. Today, South Korea will face Iran (which thrashed its opponent during their first meeting).

Bahrain (82) def. India (80)

In the first overtime game of the FIBA Asia tournmanent, Bahrain emerged victorious against India during Thursday's match at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Bahrain looked like they were not ready to play during regulation and were pretty sluggish, but Mohamed Kawaid led his team by chipping in 7 points to push them to overtime. Despite the 25-point effort from India's Narendel Grewal, India must seek out a win in today's game against Thailand to avoid the 0-2 slump during the first round of tournament.

Kazakhstan (81) def. Thailand (67)

In another lopsided match, Kazakhstan took their first win after beating Thailand during Thursday's match at the SM MoA Arena. Anton Ponomarev, forward for Kazakhstan, led his team with 21 points and 13 rebounds to secure the lead throughout the entire game. They closed out the first quarter with a bang by securing an 11-point lead with the lead extending up to 25 points at one point during the match. Thailand's Darunpong Apiromvilaichai is the sole player to reach double digits in scoring for his team.

Philippines (78) def. Saudi Arabia (66)

The Philippine national men's basketball team secured their first win in FIBA Asia 2013 by defeating Saudi Arabia in a 78-66 contest. However, this victory did not come in easy because there were plenty of struggles along the way. In fact, the Saudi Arabians closed out the first quarter with a 2-point lead although the host team took the lead at the half (with 7 points). Big men June Mar Fajardo and Marcus Douthit both provided the cushion for the team during the dying minutes to secure its first victory. Today, the Philippine team is set to met Jordan wherein the latter attempts to get their first win as Smart Gilas is looking to keep its record clean.

Check us back for updates on Day 2 results.

Countdown to FIBA Asia 2013 & Preliminary Game Schedule

The 2013 FIBA Asia Championship is set to unveil tomorrow, August 1, for a two-week tournament featuring the best basketball teams in Asia. Basketball fans in the country, as well as the world, are excited to witness the said tournament especially since the country will be playing host this year. This will only be the third time in FIBA's 53-year history that the Philippines will host the tournament. In fact, the tournament will be back here after four decades since it last played host.

Image: http://www.solarsportsdesk.ph/

The FIBA Asia Championship 2013 will serve as the qualifying round for the upcoming FIBA World Cup Championship that will be held in Spain next year. The top three teams to emerge from this tournament will earn the right to represent Asia in the said event. To refresh your memory, the draw for the groupings for all competing teams were done last June 6 and the groups look as follows:

Group A: Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Chinese Taipei
Group B: Japan, Qatar, Hong Kong (Lebanon was suspended from competition by FIBA officials due to legal woes)
Group C: China, South Korea, Iran, Malaysia
Group D: Bahrain, India, Thailand, and Kazakhstan

If you are looking to watch the games live, you can take note of the preliminary list of games schedule for the FIBA Asia 2013 tournament here:

August 1, 2013 (Thursday)

Mall of Asia Arena

11:00am - Iran vs Malaysia
1:15pm - Jordan vs Chinese Taipei
3:30pm - Japan vs Qatar
5:45pm - China vs Korea
8:30pm - Saudi Arabia vs Philippines
10:30pm - Kazakhstan vs Thailand

Ninoy Aquino Stadium

6:00pm - India vs Bahrain

August 2, 2013 (Friday)

Mall of Asia Arena

11:00am - China vs Malaysia
1:15pm - Chinese Taipei vs Saudi Arabia
3:30pm - Japan vs Hong Kong
5:45pm - Korea vs Iran
8:30pm - Jordan vs Philippines
10:30pm - Thailand vs India

Ninoy Aquino Stadium

6:00pm - Kazakhstan vs Bahrain

August 3, 2013 (Saturday)

Mall of Asia Arena

11:00am - Malaysia vs Korea
1:15pm - India vs Kazakhstan
3:30pm - Hong Kong vs Qatar
5:45pm - Iran vs China
8:30pm - Philippines vs Chinese Taipei
10:30pm - Saudi Arabia vs Jordan

Ninoy Aquino Stadium

6:00pm - Bahrain vs Thailand

Check us back for more updates on results and schedules for the ongoing FIBA Asia 2013 tournament.

*Disclaimer: Credits to www.rappler.com for schedule list.

Lebanon Out of the FIBA Asia 2013 Tournament

Lebanon, one of the powerhouse teams in the upcoming FIBA Asia 2013 Tournament to be held in Manila, Philippines, was suspended by FIBA officials from the said tournament after failure to comply with the requirements set by the federation. This was confirmed last Saturday, which opens up a huge slot in the said tournament now that one of its powerhouse competitors had been taken out of the competition.


The report was confirmed via the Daily Star Lebanon due to a series of violations that the team failed to address. Among those violations include legal disputes amongst their players and 'political meddling with the matches'. The Youth and Sports Minister in Lebanon was also reached out for comment regarding the matter and he cited that "politics and sectarianism" ruined their chances of competing in this year's FIBA Asia tournament.

Before this controversial suspension, Lebanon was named as part of Group B wherein they are pitted against Japan, Hong Kong, and Qatar. Iraq will replace Lebanon's spot in Group B, as confirmed by FIBA Asia officials.

Three Lebanese players competing in the ongoing Jones Cup tournament were clearly devastated about this development. After all, the FIBA Asia tournament will serve as qualifier for the FIBA World Championship.

Meanwhile, the preparation continues for Smart Gilas Pilipinas for the upcoming FIBA Asia tournament set to take place from August 1 to 11, 2013. Head coach Chot Reyes recently confirmed the 12-man lineup for Smart Gilas Pilipinas competing for the tournament.

12-Man Lineup Competing for FIBA Asia Named For Smart Gilas Pilipinas

Smart Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes has named the 12-man lineup that will represent the country in the upcoming FIBA Asia '13 tournament to be held in the country. As of July 11, coach Chot tweeted via his personal account that he had submitted the list of the team's roster for the FIBA Asia Championship. Here's the tweet from Coach Chot:

Here is the complete list of roster for the Smart Gilas Pilipinas competing in this year's FIBA Asia Championship:

Jayson Castro

Larry Fonacier

Ranidel de Ocampo

Gary David

Gabe Norwood

Jimmy Alapag

LA Tenorio

June Mar Fajardo

Marc Pingris

Japeth Aguilar

Jeff Chan

Marcus Douthit

The team recently went to New Zealand for the final stage of preparation for the tournament. There were 13 players who attended the training, and of the 13 only Beau Belga did not make the final cut. The FIBA Asia tournament will take place on August 1 to 11, 2013. Smart Gilas' first game will be on August 1 against Saudi Arabia in MOA Arena.

What do you think of Smart Gilas Pilipinas' chances coming into the FIBA Asia Championship tournament?

FIBA Asia 2013 Draw

Image: www.pba.inquirer.net

The Smart Gilas Pilipinas team is currently in Lithuania undergoing a training camp in preparation for the upcoming FIBA Asia competition, of which the country will be hosting this year. But while the team is away, the draw for the FIBA Asia 2013 competition was conducted last Thursday to finalize the groupings for the competing teams. The competition will take place from August 1 to 11 in Manila.

As hosts, the Philippines exercised their right to select the group of which they wanted to become a part of. And in doing so, Coach Chot Reyes, together with his assistant coaches, opted to be part of Group A wherein they are joined by Chinese Taipei, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. This will be their grouping for the Preliminary Round of competition. Three teams will be moving on to the second round of competition from the Group A wherein they are set to meet with the top teams from Group B.

The Group C is dubbed as the clash of the big guns as the top three teams in FIBA Asia were a part of - China, Korea, and Iran, all of which combine a total of 19 gold medals in the history of FIBA Asia championships.

The draw ceremony was presided over by FIBA Asia Secretary General Hagop Khajirian wherein he announced, "the successful completion of the Draw Ceremony, the stage is set for the competition at the 27th FIBA Asia Championship, the biggest event in FIBA Asia." The FIBA Asia Championship will serve as a qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Cup.

To see the full list of groupings, you can check below:

Group A

Philippines
Jordan
Chinese Taipei
Saudi Arabia

Group B

Japan
Lebanon
Qatar
Hong Kong

Group C

China
Korea
Iran
SEABA2

Group D

India
Kazakhstan
Bahrain
SEABA1

What do you think of the Smart Gilas Pilipinas' chances in the FIBA Asia tournament?

Gilas Pilipinas Adds Belga Into the Lineup, Joins Training Camp

Image: interaksyon.com

Smart Gilas Pilipinas is in the thick of its preparation for the upcoming FIBA Asia 2013 Tournament, which the team will be hosting this year. After head coach Chot Reyes’ announcement via Twitter that the Smart Gilas Pilipinas had been un-invited to this year’s Jones Cup tournament, the team is looking for other ways to train and prepare for the upcoming FIBA Asia Championship. And as part of the team’s effort to boost their lineup, Rain or Shine center Beau Belga had been added into the lineup. Belga will replace Slaughter in the lineup, who was kept by his amateur team from joining Smart Gilas’ stint at a Lithuanian camp. 


As of now, Beau Belga is bent in getting the right fitness level so he can be in shape for the upcoming competition that Smart Gilas will be joining in. Head coach Chot Reyes recently named him as the latest inclusion into the Smart Gilas training pool. The 225-lb center has also made a few adjustments in his lifestyle to ensure that he will have faster rate at improving his conditioning, especially since it is his dream to become a national player. 

However, Beau Belga was unable to join the rest of the team as they flew to Lithuania because he is still processing his visa. Once that is good to go, he will be able to join the rest of the team in the succeeding preparations for the FIBA Asia competition. 

The training camp in Lithuania will last for two weeks wherein they will have a series of tune-up games against top Lithuanian ball clubs. Coach Chot Reyes admits that this training camp is nothing like the competitive sharpness they will get when competing at the Jones Cup tournament, of which they had been uninvited. 

Aside from the competitive training they will get, Chot Reyes is also hoping that players will bond and improve their team chemistry, on and off the court, as a result of this trip. Four players, though, won’t be making the trip namely Jared Dillinger, Sonny Thoss and Ryan Reyes, due to their respective injuries. Meanwhile, Kelly Williams had been taken out of the lineup due to his recurring blood disorder.