MANILA -- National team coach Chot Reyes stressed that the home crowd will play a crucial role when Gilas Pilipinas' kicks off its 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign against Dominican Republic on Friday.

The game will take place at the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena, which is expected to be filled up with tens of thousands of Filipino spectators on game day.

"The crowd will be a big factor to be able to help us," said Reyes during the FIBA press conference on Thursday.

The Gilas tactician refused to talk about their chances against the World No. 23 Dominican Republic, citing that they would rather focus on the things within their control.

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NBA star Jordan Clarkson will spearhead the world 40th ranked Gilas together with big men June Mar Fajardo, Kai Sotto and team skipper Japeth Aguilar.

"It doesn’t matter who you’re playing. Your chances is going to be very difficult. The competition is very tough and if you start thinking about chances, it’s really not useful," Reyes said.

"If I tell you yes (we like our chances), people might say we’re overconfident. But if we say na Dominican Republic is tough, people might think we’ve already given up."

This time, the national team coach said Gilas is taking a different approach.

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"We’re focusing on things within our control. Focusing on preparing, scouting Dominicans as much as as we can, see their tendencies. We’re putting a lot of effort in perfecting our offense," said Reyes.

"(But) one thing is for sure, we'll really need the help and the support of the crowd so we’d be able to punch above our weight."

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