Gilas Pilipinas gets Olympic Qualifying Tournament spot

Gilas Pilipinas' morale-boosting victory over China on Saturday evening assured the Philippines a spot to join the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying tournament.

After four straight losses in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Gilas rode on Jordan Clarkson's torrid third-quarter shooting to mow down China in their final game in the classification round to finish 24th place overall as per the final FIBA ranking.

Gilas Pilipinas PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIO

The national team's 1-4 win-loss record was enough for the Philippines to secure a spot in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

The Philippines failed to gain the lone outright Olympic spot for an Asian team following its winless trip in the group stage, as well as losing, 87-68 to South Sudan in its classification round game last Thursday.

However, Gilas' narrow losing margins in Group A, along with its huge 96-75 win over China, helped the country secure the OQT slot.

The Philippines ended up tied with Angola and China with similar 1-4 records, but the host country managed to grab the second place in Group M due to superior points differential. The Philippines had -21 differential, compared to -42 for Angola and -94 for China.

South Sudan took the top spot in Group M with its 3-2 win-loss aggregate, while more importantly, securing the lone African ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

For the moment, things are uncertain as far as who will be at the helm for Gilas following Chot Reyes' announcement on Saturday evening that he's stepping down.

The Philippines' 24th place though is a huge improvement considering the national team went winless in the 2019 campaign in Foshan, China for 32nd spot.