The Dominican Republic stands defiant as they are about to collide against the entire Filipino nation to highlight the opening day of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup on Friday, Aug. 25.
Team captain Eloy Vargas will remain committed to their game plan as the Philippine squad is poised to receive the full support of an anticipated 50,000-strong Pinoy fanbase at the expansive Philippine Arena in the province of Bulacan.
“With us, I think just the work from the beginning,” Vargas said about how they’ll approach the Philippines during their introductory press conference on Thursday ahead of the World Cup. “The same day that we found out that we play the Philippines especially here at (their) home where there’s a lot of fans. … We prepared for this game.”
The Philippines are eyeing to break the standing record of 32,616 attendance set by Canada back in the 1994 FIBA World Cup Finals which featured Russia and title victors in the United States.
With their first hoops enemy nation on the cusp of history, Vargas meanwhile believes that it’s a dream come true for them to play in front of countless spectators.
“We came from nothing basically. We basically played basketball in frames. … Coming from nothing and playing in front of a lot of people, I think it’s great for us to show ourselves and represent our country in front of thousands of people.
The Dominicans are being pegged as a strong nation with NBA star big man Karl-Anthony Towns finally at their side. As such, Vargas particularly looks at a familiar face from the Filipino team for a much-awaited basketball reunion – now as competitors.
The opener of the tourney would allow Vargas to reconnect with his former NBA D-League teammate Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson, who is the proud naturalized reinforcement of the Filipinos as they host the World Cup, is assumed to deliver an expected high production offensively like what he usually does for the Utah Jazz.
“Me and Jordan, we played together back in 2014 for the G League, for the Lakers, so we know each other a little bit,” Vargas said.
“I know he’s a good shooter, I know he’s very athletic and fast, so our guys (need) to do a great job on him.”
The Filipinos will welcome the Dominicans to their home tourney following the first-day entry bout of both Italy and Angola.
