MANILA, Philippines — Considering that about 110 million people live in the Philippines, it's not feasible to expect that they all would be basketball fans.
''But it's close,'' said Tim Cone, the country's top professional coach.
And that might not be an understatement, either.
Basketball's World Cup starts on Friday, spread out over three nations — the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. It'll be centered in Manila, where the medal rounds will be held in early September, where the favored U.S. team will play all its games in the event and where fans have been waiting for years for this chance at seeing some of the game's biggest names competing in their city.