Gilas Pilipinas U18, Chog Moral to compete in Filoil Preseason Cup

The Gilas Pilipinas U18 team, led by Chog Moral along with Prince Cariño, Shaun Lucido, Lian Basa, and Andwele Cabañero, is set to join the upcoming Filoil Preseason Cup this May as part of its buildup for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers in Thailand.

The league, in a release, said on Wednesday that the participation of the national youth squad is aimed at strengthening the team’s preparation while also adding more excitement to this year’s preseason tournament.

“It is our immense honor to welcome our national team to the premier preseason league,” said Filoil Preseason chairman Virgil Villavicencio.

“This is our own little way of helping the Gilas Youth program prepare for battle, equipping them with valuable experience against tougher and more experienced collegiate opponents while also adding more spice to this year’s competitions.”

Coached by Juno Sauler, Gilas U18 will compete under the UAAP Group alongside defending preseason champion University of the Philippines, reigning UAAP champion De La Salle University, and other contenders National University, University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University, Adamson University, and Ateneo de Manila University. The University of the East, meanwhile, has opted to skip this year’s preseason.

The Filoil Preseason will open on May 17 while the SEABA Qualifiers will be held in June.

—JKC, GMA News