After attending his graduation rites at Ateneo de Manila University, Ange Kouame flew to Lithuania to hook up with Gilas Pilipinas in its preparation for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Kouame, the 6-foot-10 naturalized Filipino from Ivory Coast, arrived in Lithuania on Sunday and is expected to hit the ground running to catch up with Gilas, who are already in the thick of their preparation for the prestigious 32-nation tournament.
Gilas team manager Butch Antonio said Kouame will be available to see action in their remaining friendly matches against topnotch European teams after missing their buildup in Estonia last week.
Gilas’ first friendly match in Lithuania was a success as they defeated the Ukrainian Under-20 squad, 70-61, at the Zalgiris Arena in Kaunas.
In an interview, Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes expressed satisfaction with how things are going entering the crucial stretch of their preparation for the World Cup that the country will host from 25 August to 10 September.
“To be very honest, I was very pleased at how quickly we picked up the new things that we worked on in practice,” Reyes said, stressing that they remain a work in progress.
“But to be very honest, although we won this game, I still think there are a lot of defensive lapses. I thought there was a lot more to be desired even though we won.”
Reyes said he likes how they performed against a rugged — yet disciplined — team like the Ukrainian youth squad.
“Still, in our overall journey in the process, we focused on cutting down our turnovers, not giving up offensive rebounds and then being able to execute the defense that we worked on in practice,” said Reyes, who also coached Gilas in the FIBA World Championship in 2014.
“I thought we were able to do that.”
Rhenz Abando, who is displaying an impressive performance in the ongoing European circuit, said they are doing everything they can to come up with a solid preparation, especially since they will be competing in front of their basketball-crazy countrymen.
“This is for the country,” Abando said.
“You cannot turn your back on it. Now that I’m available because of the off-season, it’s an honor to be a part of it. This is the World Cup and if I ever make it to the final 12, I would definitely learn a lot, knowing that we’ll be able to face some of the best teams.”
