Gilas Pilipinas’ opening game in the 2023 FIBA World Cup will be all important as it will set the tone for their campaign while it vies for one of the available slots for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The nationals will be kicking off their FIBA World Cup campaign on August 25 against Dominican Republic, and Thirdy Ravena is looking forward to the joust.

“We want to start off with a win. That is what’s going to determine pretty much how the tournament will go,” the 6-foot-3 shooting guard said for San-En NeoPhoenix in the For Love: The Podcast live recording in Taguig City on Sunday, August 13.

The last time the Philippines made it to Olympic basketball was in 1972, when the likes of Jimmy Mariano, William “Bogs” Adornado, Danny Florencio, Jun Papa, Freddie Webb, and skipper Ed Ocampo bannered the squad.

This time, Gilas will be led by NBA star Jordan Clarkson, who will be back-stopped by local talents to be selected from the pool that includes Ravena and his sibling Kiefer, Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, Roger Pogoy, Chris Newsome, and June Mar Fajardo among others.

“We’ll try to get that win against the Dominican Republic and try to advance to the next round,” Ravena said.

“The main goal for us is to be in the Olympics in 2024, so if we try to qualify for the second round that gives us a higher chance of making it to Paris in 2024,” he added.

To boost their campaign for an Olympic slot, Gilas will have to be the best Asian team in the FIBA World Cup. They have to win at least two games in Group A where Gilas will take on Italy, Dominican Republic and Angola and make it to the second round.

However, five other teams are also vying to become the best Asian team in the tournament with China, Jordan, Japan, Iran, and Lebanon. 

Ravena said the key to accomplishing the feat is to win one game at a time.

“We’ll definitely try our best to take it one game at a time. That’s the best possible chance,” he said. (ABS-CBN News)