Boatwright will have some cramming to do in Malaysia
Gilas Pilipinas will be rushing to make sure Bennie Boatwright would be as efficient as he can for his long-awaited debut as a naturalized player when the Filipinos play the fifth window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers in Seremban, Malaysia.
Coach Tim Cone said Boatwright will be joining the team a few days after Gilas starts camp in Malaysia in preparation for the crucial games against Syria on Nov. 27 and Iran on Nov. 29.
Boatwright plays for the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association, and Cone said he will be released by his club three days before the window.
“We’re trying to get Bennie to come in earlier, but we can’t at this point. China’s still holding him,” Cone said. “He’s going to meet us in Malaysia on the 23rd, and that’s tough because he hasn’t been with us, hasn’t had any time at all.
“So we’re going to have to try to figure out a way to make him effective within the system and try to tweak it so we can get him effective,” added Cone. “And that’s always difficult to do.”
The former San Miguel Beer import finally got his naturalization done a few weeks ago. He was already able to secure a Philippine passport, which was the last hurdle to being eligible to play for Gilas in Fiba competitions.
His Gilas debut is timely, since Justin Brownlee failed to suit up in both the fourth window and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games due to multiple injuries.
The presence of the 6-foot-10 Boatwright will be a boost for the team that also has some returnees in Quentin Millora-Brown and Mike Phillips.
Kai Sotto is also going to play despite an early scare in which he missed several games for his B.League club Altiri Chiba. Sotto has since played the team’s last three games.
The Philippines is eyeing twin victories in order to gain ground in the race for World Cup slots, and Boatwright is expected to be a prominent cog for Cone’s squad.
Cone, however, is bracing for some rough patches, which come naturally for a player on the adjustment stage.
“Bennie’s a talented guy,” Cone said. “He’s going to lend a lot of talent to the team, (also) size, and perimeter shooting. So he’s a welcome addition,” Cone said. “We’re certainly going to miss Justin [Brownlee], however, because he just knows what to do. And that’s going to be the difference.
“Bennie is going to maybe struggle a little bit in what he’s supposed to do and how he’s supposed to do it,” Cone continued. “But we’re hoping his talent will win out on that.”
