Angola is well aware of how Filipinos love the sport of basketball.
Therefore, they anticipate a strong competition against a team that receives support from passionate home fans as they compete against Gilas Pilipinas on Sunday in the FIBA World Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Angolans will be banking on Atlanta Hawks center Bruno Fernando, their main man in the 2023 FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers.
“The Philippines has the homecourt advantage playing at home, so we’re going to fight them and the crowd as much as we can,” he said.
Angola, listed No. 41 in the world, is the lowest-ranked team in Group A of the FIBA World Cup competitions. Gilas stands at No. 40 in the FIBA rankings, while the Dominican Republic is ranked No. 23. Italy is the best-ranked team in the group at No. 10.
But Fernando said they try to pull off a surprise against their competitors.
“Italy’s a great team, a powerhouse globally. The other team in the Dominican Republic, Karl Anthony Towns, will give them a lot of power and strength,” he said.
“But we’ll try our best; we’re gonna fight as much as we can. Once the ball’s in the air, everything’s decided at the game.”
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The post Passionate homecrowd a big advantage for Gilas, says Angola’s Fernando first appeared on FASTBREAK.com.ph.
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