Against Taiwanese, Gilas eyes intact unbeaten card
Clipped without one of its young cornerstones, Gilas Pilipinas gets to show its legion of fans and the region what it is truly made of when it battles vengeful Chinese Taipei in Thursday’s third and final window of the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers.
The Nationals (4-0, win-loss) take on the hosts (1-3) at 7 p.m. at Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, looking to prove that they are still a capable bunch even with 7-foot-3 rising star Kai Sotto out.
Aside from the absence of easily one of its most efficient cogs, the Nationals are also out to prove that they were hardly fazed by a string of losses on the road and the bout of traveling that came with it.
“That’s what being a professional basketball player is all about. You have to be ready to play regardless of where and what time,” said two-way guard Chris Newsome.
“You just gotta put your best foot forward at all times,” added the Meralco star, who will be tasked to help reassert the Filipinos’ mastery of the Taiwanese alongside June Mar Fajardo, naturalized ace Justin Brownlee, and another cornerstone in Dwight Ramos.
“The bottom line was the Doha [Cup] was a camp—a learning camp for us, a development camp for us. So as much as they were important, they weren’t crucial,” national coach Tim Cone said in an interview released by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on the eve of the match.
“Now, we’re in the crucial part of it. We’re coming here into Taiwan. It’s been tough. But as we said from the very, very beginning, we wanted it to be tough. We wanted it, I think that teams learn from adversity; teams learn when it’s really hard. That’s why you have hard practices and why you play tough opponents because that makes you better. We’re hoping that Doha experience, like I said it’s disappointing, but we hope it makes us better.”
Previously crushed
Also part of the contingent are Mason Amos, Calvin Oftana, CJ Perez, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, and program returnees Jamie Malonzo, AJ Edu, and Troy Rosario.
Malonzo missed the previous encounter with the Taiwanese back in the summer of last year, thanks to what basketball leaders then labeled a “medical issue.”
Edu, meanwhile, hasn’t played in Gilas’ first four matches of the tournament due to a bum knee which makes this rematch with the home team his first official Gilas game since serving in the Fiba World Cup held in Manila.
Gilas crushed Chinese Taipei, 106-53, in their previous clash staged in Pasig City. It is worth noting, however, that it hasn’t always been one-sided between these two nations, as the Taiwanese have shown back in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship when they stunned the Nationals, 84-79, in Pasay City.
“I thought the practice was really high energy today. I thought the guys were out there having fun. We wanted to have a positive practice. We wanted to be competing, and I thought we saw all that today,” Cone said.
“So far, this team has been really, really good about moving forward, putting the last things behind them, and just keep on battling. We expect to come out and battle against Taiwan. We know they’re going to be a lot, lot better than we played them the last time. They got a new import, they got a new coach, they got a couple of new players from the Japan league and one from the [Chinese Basketball Association]. We expect a much, much different fight this time around, but I think we’re ready for them.”
Two standouts will be expectedly cut from the Gilas roster following Wednesday’s technical meeting with the tournament organizers, but they could be making the lineup when the contingent plays its final game against New Zealand in Auckland this Sunday.
