Philippines jumps up 11 spots in FIBA rankings

The Philippines was one of the biggest movers in the latest edition of the FIBA world rankings, moving up 11 spots from from 45th to 34th, as a result of their win in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship.

The latest iteration of the standings, released Friday, takes into account the result of the recently concluded continental championships, which all served as qualifiers for the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

The Philippine surge made the country the sixth-ranked nation in FIBA Asia behind only China, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan and South Korea.

Globally, the United States, winners of the last Olympics, is still on top, followed by Spain, Argentina, Lithuania and Greece.

Mexico, which won the FIBA Americas tourney, moved up eight spots to 24, while Finland (#39), Egypt (#46), Czech Republic (#48) and Belgium (#50) also saw big gains. - AMD, GMA News