Gilas opens FIBA World Cup campaign against Croatia

Bracketed with former Olympic champion Argentina and two-time European titlist Greece in Group B, Gilas Pilipinas faces what many armchair pundits consider a daunting task in the 2014 FIBA World Basketball Cup that gets going on August 30 in four different cities in Spain.

The Nationals are expected to immediately have their hands full in the preliminary round in their bid to advance to the knockout Round-of-16 stage that head coach Chot Reyes and long-time patron Manny V. Pangilinan have long set their sights on.

Although they failed to be grouped with Ukraine and Finland which he both claimed as "beatable", Reyes vowed they will leave no stone unturned as they try to make their countrymen proud in the Philippines' return stint to the world stage for the first time since 1978.

Ranked 34th in the world, the Philippines will open its lofty campaign on August 30 against Croatia, which finished third overall in last year's European qualifiers.

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Gilas will then square off with the Greeks, rated fifth in the world, on August 31 followed by another testy battle against Argentinians, ranked third in the world, on September 1.

After a one-day breather, Gilas Pilipinas will plunge back to action against world No. 17 Puerto Rico, which finished second to Mexico in the FIBA Americas, before winding up its preliminary campaign against Senegal, which claimed the bronze medal in the African qualifiers and is ranked 41st in the world.

Although the odds are stacked against them, Reyes is unfazed, tweeting: "Tough sked, pero di tayo patitinag. Lalaban ng patayan #PusongPinoy."

The Palacio Municipal de Deportes San Pablo in Seville will serve as the battleground for Group B protagonists and Gilas Pilipinas skipper Jimmy Alapag is already looking forward to the trip.

The top four teams from each group will move on to the knockout Round-of-16 stage that will be played in the iconic cities of Barcelona and Madrid.