Numerous lessons will be learned when Gilas Pilipinas tangles with host Serbia on Wednesday during Group A action of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia.
Serbia is currently ranked no. 5 in the world and Baldwin believes that young members of Gilas will learn a lot when both teams clash at 2:15 p.m. (8:15 p.m. in Manila) at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.
“You’re turning every game into a lesson. And you have to because there’s so much to learn for us,” said Baldwin during the team’s virtual press conference yesterday with team skipper Isaac Go.
Group A matches will begin on Tuesday with the Serbs taking on the Dominican Republic.
Gilas is playing against a Serbian team that will play without NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Serbs will be led by 27-year-old Vasilije Micic, the Euroleague’s two-time Most Valuable Player averaging 15.6 points and 4.6 assists per game.
“Everything we’re doing, particularly on the international stage now is not just new for us as a team, but new for almost all of the players,” added Baldwin.
The 12-man squad is made up of Dwight Ramos, Angelo Kouame, Justine Baltazar, Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo, SJ Belangel, RJ Abarrientos, Go, William Navarro, Mike Nieto, Geo Chiu and Jordan Heading.
The Serbs remain as a powerhouse squad with Nemanja Bjelica of the Miami Heat and man-mountain Boban Marjanovic of the Dallas Mavericks still around.
After Gilas meets Serbia, they will clash with the Dominican Republic the following day.
The Philippines is looking for two wins to get out of the group stage.
From there, they will move into a crossover playoffs with the top two teams of the other group.
The two teams in Group A will be watching out for Dwight Ramos, who is fast becoming known as one of Gilas’ go-to guys.