Gilas Pilipinas Youth will once again battle the best young basketball players in the region as they compete in the 2024 FIBA U18 Asia Cup in Amman, Jordan.

They swept the competitions in the SEABA Qualifiers to book their ticket to Jordan alongside second-place Indonesia. It will be the Philippines’ eighth consecutive entry to the U18 Asia Cup.

Gilas is composed of Marc Daniel Burgos, Nicolash Drei Lorenzo, Apl McAndrei Gemao, John Earl Medina, Wilhalm Lawrence Cabonilas, Charles Francis Esteban, Johnkurl Ruiz Figueroa, Joaquin Gabriell Ludovice, Louis Allen Perez, Carl Vincent Manding, Jericho Riley Santos, and Mark Airick Esperanza with Josh Reyes as the head coach.

Unfortunately, one of the team’s top weapons suffered an injury as Gemao was forced out of the lineup due to a fractured hand.

He led Gilas with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists in their final match in SEABA where the Philippines beat Indonesia, 87-64.

The Philippines is the second winningest team in the competitions with six gold medals, trailing China’s 11. However, most of these medals were won in the 70s.

The last time the Philippines finished on the podium was back in 1992 where the team that had the likes of Rodney Santos, Patrick Fran, and Dennis Espino defeated Japan for the bronze medal.

The top four finishers in Jordan will qualify for the 2024 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Switzerland. The last time Gilas qualified for this event was in 2018 with a stacked team led by Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, Dave Ildefonso, and Dalph Panopio.