After the conclusion of the preliminary rounds of the FIBA World Cup, both Finland (Markkanen) and the Philippines (Clarkson) failed to advance in the next stage of the competition. It came as disappointments, with the host nation going listless and Markkanen was unable to follow up their impressive Eurobasket stint.
Firstly, for Gilas Pilipinas, there were multiple chances that they could’ve gotten a breakthrough win. Against the Dominican Republic, the game was not decided until Clarkson fouled out late in the fourth quarter. They also came up short in their next two assignments, losing to Angola and Italy respectively.