10 reasons to follow the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila
MANILA (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Six countries have converged on the Philippine capital of Manila to lock horns and earn the right to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
Canada, Senegal and Turkey are set to trade blows in Group A, while France, New Zealand and hosts Philippines will square off in Group B. Only the winner of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), which runs 5-10 July, will qualify for Rio 2016.
FIBA.com gives you 10 reasons to follow the event.
1 - Tony Parker is on his farewell campaign.
Tony Parker has repeatedly stated that this is the last time he will be playing for France in the international circuit. That means we may never see him don the famous tri-colors of Les Bleus ever again. This OQT may well be our final look at the all-time leading scorer in Eurobasket tournament history. He will certainly want to go out with a bang, and, hopefully, a ticket to the Olympics.
2 - Tristan Thompson returns to action for Canada.
After helping the Cleveland Cavaliers rewrite history with their first NBA championship, Tristan Thompson decided to don the red and white of his homeland. Thompson, who last played for the national team three years ago in the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship, will give the Canucks a huge boost with his rebounding and defensive prowess. He, along with the hulking Joel Anthony, should shore up Canada’s frontline and make them very tough to beat.
3 - Semih Erden is Turkey’s new leader.
Without Ersan Ilyasova, Enes Kanter and Emir Preldzic in the fold, the mantle of leadership for the 12 Giant Men of Turkey falls on the broad shoulders of Semih Erden. He emerged as a reliable inside option for the Turks in Eurobasket 2015, where he averaged 13.2 points and 4.3 rebounds game while shooting a scorching 74.4% from the field. He has been impressive in Turkey’s recent preparation games, and he, along with NBA journeyman Omer Asik, should form a fearsome twin tower combination for coach Ergin Ataman.
4 - Kiwis out to beat old mentor Tab Baldwin.
Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tab Baldwin will be encountering familiar faces from New Zealand in the coming OQT https://t.co/oOa81U3ifm
— FOX Sports PH (@FOXSports_PH) May 24, 2016
Tab Baldwin is perhaps best known for coaching New Zealand all the way to the Semi-Finals of a world-level tournament in 2002, but this time the Tall Blacks find themselves on the opposite end of the floor as their former mentor. Coach Baldwin’s successor, Paul Henare, was one of his former players, and it will be very interesting to see what kind of chess match will happen when student takes on teacher, especially with a slot in the Olympics up for grabs.
5 - Sans Gorgui Dieng, Senegal out to prove their worth.
Senegal made some noise in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup by beating Puerto Rico and Croatia, but one big weapon they had back then won’t be around this time in Manila. NBA center Gorgui Dieng begged off from national team duties this year, so the onus falls on the likes of Louis Adams, Ibrahima Thomas and newly naturalized playmaker Clevin Hannah to carry the cudgels for a team besieged by controversy entering this competition. Before flying to Manila, the team had to deal with coach Fisac de Diego threatening to jump ship. Will that issue light a flame under the Lions’ bellies, or will the fallout be too much to handle?
6 - There is some unfinished business for Andray Blatche.
Andray Blatche has unfinished business with Gilas Pilipinas... https://t.co/y4OY332ifN
— Gilas Pilipinas (@smartgilasph) May 22, 2016
When Andray Blatche returned to play for the Philippines in 2015, there was just a single goal in mind — rule the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship and, consequently, make the Olympics. Needless to say, Blatche and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas fell short of their target, but now that unfinished business is the fuel that feeds their desire to leave everything on the floor and give their very best in front of their hometown fans. This is Blatche’s first tournament on his adopted home country’s soil, so it’ll be interesting to see how the crowd’s all-out support will push him to perform.
7 - See New Zealand’s next generation.
With team regulars Lindsay Tait, Kirk Penney and Jarrod Kenny all either retired or injured, the Tall Blacks had to call up a few young recruits to round out their roster. In fact, head coach Paul Henare has seven players born in or after 1992 - more than half of his squad. That means veterans like Mika Vukona and Corey Webster will have to do a lot of mentoring, but it also means the Kiwis’ new generation of budding stars, which includes Isaac Fotu and Tai Webster, will finally get their first-hand experience playing at this level.
8 - The Euroleague MVP is set to take over.
Nando De Colo was one of the best players, if not THE best player, in European basketball this past season, and he is set to inherit Tony Parker’s role as this team’s bona fide leader once the latter finally hangs up his French kit. De Colo was already very good in Eurobasket 2015, earning All-Tournament honors, but he is expected to shine even more brightly here as the French are the favorites to annex the OQT crown and punch their way to the 2016 Olympic Games.
9 - Terrence Romeo will dazzle.
Many of Terrence Romeo's prospective rivals in this OQT have probably never seen him play in the flesh, but they will have front row seats to witness just how dazzling this Filipino guard can be. Even with his team’s blowout losses to Italy and Turkey recently, Romeo's highlight-reel moves still attracted a lot of attention, and it stands to reason that we’ll see more of his crossovers and pull-up threes here in Manila and on social media.
10 - There is no place like Manila.
Speaking of Manila, the fact of the matter is there is just no place on planet Earth that can compare with this city in terms of passion and fervor for the game of basketball. Other countries like Lithuania, Puerto Rico and Lebanon may be as obsessed with hoops, but only the Filipinos can make a 20,000+ seater stadium pop with collective energy and frenzy. Pinoy hoop nuts are set to make the world know just how important basketball is to the fabric of life in this corner of the globe.
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