THE national youth basketball team faces a tall order in the 2019 Fiba Under-19 World Cup in Heraklion, Greece, in June.
The Philippines is bracketed in Group C along with host Greece, Argentina and Russia in the four-group tournament set from June 29 to July 7.
The national squad made the worlds by finishing fourth place in the Fiba U18 Asian Championships last August in Thailand. The other qualifiers are champion Australia, second-place New Zealand and third-place China.
Kai Sotto remains as the main weapon of the team. At 7-foot-2, Sotto is joined by a fellow giant, 6-foot-10 AJ Edu. Also on the team are Dalph Panopio and Dave Ildefonso.
Ranked 30th in the world, the Filipinos will have its hand full against the No. 9 Argentina, No. 15 Greece and No. 19 Russia.
The boys will first face Greece on June 29, followed by Argentina the next day and Russia on July 2.
The country is competing in the Under-19 world championships for the first time since 1979.