MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — Teenagers from a crowded Manila slum shoot hoops on a court bearing the shiny logo of the FIBA World Cup, the tournament where Gilas Pilipinas disappointed a basketball-mad nation.

The team's failure to make it past the first round — with three straight losses and another defeat at the start of the classification phase — has done nothing to diminish passion for the sport.

The court where the teenagers are playing is at the Tenement, a decaying public housing estate lacking running water and elevators, where hundreds of families are crammed into tiny apartments.

Some of the world's top basketball nations, and some of the best players, are just a short distance away, but this is as close as many of the teenagers will ever get to the World Cup.

Undeterred by the national team's dismal performance, which has left many disappointed fans blaming head coach Chot Reyes, the teenagers braved heavy monsoon rain to practice their shooting skills.

"It gives me more inspiration to continue playing," Kevin Bayobo, 18, told AFP on Thursday at the court where he first learned to play. "We fought hard. It's just that luck was not with us. With better coaching, it's not inconceivable that we
could have won a medal."

Filipinos have developed a deep passion for basketball since it was introduced by their former colonial ruler United States.

Community life across the country revolves around basketball courts, which are usually covered with a roof, and people play at all hours of the day and night, often in flip-flops or bare feet. Courts also serve as evacuation centers during
natural disasters, as vaccination sites or venues for beauty pageants, and even places for mass circumcisions.

At the Tenement, the sound of basketballs thumping on the brightly painted concrete surface echoes through the 1960s-era housing project.

Children and adults wearing sports shoes lined up days before the World Cup for their turn to play on the court, which was given a makeover by FIBA's "Revamp My Court" initiative.