Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Following a silver medal finish in the 37th William Jones Cup in Taiwan, Gilas Pilipinas returned to the Philippines on Monday.
Related: Gilas nips Chinese Taipei B to clinch second place
But work doesn’t end there.
The Filipinos, who wound up second behind powerhouse Iran in the annual tournament, will play in the inaugural edition of the MVP Cup which starts on September 11 here.
New Zealand Wellington Saints and Chinese Taipei confirmed their participation, while Lebanon withdrew at the last minute due to “unexpected circumstances.” Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters will replace the West Asia Basketball champion.
The invitational tilt will serve as the Philippine team’s final tuneup before locking horns with the regions’ best teams in the FIBA Asia Championship in China. The biennial meet begins September 23.
Gilas is eyeing no less than the gold medal in the tournament to secure Asia’s lone ticket to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
