Despite bowing to Gilas Pilipinas, Iraq head coach Veselin Matic had nothing but praise for the Philippine squad competing in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.
The Philippines scored a 66–57 win over Iraq in the group stage on Saturday, securing a spot in the qualification to the quarterfinals. Iraq, which started strong with an 18–12 lead in the first quarter, eventually faltered as Gilas pulled away in the third period, sealing the win and eliminating the Iraqi team from contention.
Matic attributed the result to the Philippines’ experience.
“I know for a long time, this team of the Philippines… all these players, they are superstars over there. And that is when the championship [experience is] coming, they are coming with a superstar. I’m sure that the Philippines is improving [by] playing hard games, that will help them in the future,” Matic said.
“For me, the Philippines is [a] top four or top six team here,” he added.
Looking ahead, Matic said he hopes Iraq can improve by competing in more international tournaments, such as the Jones Cup.
Iraq is currently ranked 92nd in the world by FIBA.
