By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Following the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers’ release of its final schedule in Doha, Qatar, FIBA are excited to watch Gilas squaring off against Korea in their first game.

Through the years, Philippines and Korea engaged in tightly-contested bouts that saw them as rivals in the FIBA Asia stage.

This time, the new Gilas Pilipinas squad is under coach Tab Baldwin with new players carrying the banner of the country.

One of the solid additions to the Gilas roster is Filipino basketball sensation Sotto who will be leading his teammates against Ricardo Ratliffe and Korea.

Fresh off an NBA G League scrimmage season, Sotto is expected to deliver right away and will be a significant piece against Ratliffe.

The absence of Gilas mainstay big men June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, and Greg Slaughter will have to be filled in by Sotto, Justine Baltazar, and Justin Chua.

The first game against Korea will be on February 18, 2021 followed by a showdown with Indonesia on February 20. Lastly, they will face Korea again on February 22.