THE visiting Taiwan Mustangs test the mettle of the Gilas Pilipinas team bound for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Monday.
The two teams battle each other at 6 p.m. at the Philsports Arena in a friendly that is being opened to the public by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
The nationals just concluded their closed-door training camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna as they gear up for the July 2-7 Paris Olympic qualifier in Latvia.
The Mustangs, who are currently campaigning in The Asian Tournament, are being coached by former Rain or Shine mentor Chris Gavina and led by ex-PBA players Alex Cabagnot and Rashawn McCarthy along with import, veteran 7-foot-6 Sam Deguara.
The Taiwan-based team earlier secured the playing rights on former NBA stars Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins, and Quinn Cook, but the three won't suit up yet for the Mustangs until the end of the month.
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Head coach Tim Cone is making do with an incomplete roster for the qualifier as injuries to Scottie Thompson, AJ Edu, and Jamie Malonzo have them entirely skipping the tournament.
The game against the Mustangs will be the only tune-up match Gilas plays at home soil as it leaves for Europe on Tuesday for a pair of exhibition matches.
The Filipinos play Turkey on June 27 followed by Poland on the 29th.
From there, they proceed to Latvia for the qualifiers, first taking on the host country on July 3, followed by Georgia the next day. (RG)
