The moment of truth has finally arrived as Gilas Pilipinas battles the Dominican Republic in its opening game in the FIBA Basketball World Cup today at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Game time is set at 8 p.m. with the Filipinos expected to perform before a record-breaking crowd in their return to this prestigious 32-nation spectacle that also offers a golden ticket to the Paris Olympics.
It’s going to be the third straight time for Gilas to see action in the World Cup.
When they made their return to the World Cup after nearly four decades of absence in Spain in 2014, the Filipinos finished 21st out of 24 teams, winning only a single game, 81-79, over African powerhouse Senegal.
They competed in the World Cup anew in 2019 in China, but the rag-tag crew composed of Philippine Basketball Association players with Andray Blatche as naturalized player under head coach Yeng Guiao finished last in the 32-team field.
Now, Gilas have a golden chance to redeem their shattered pride and there’s no better way to exact payback than playing in front of their basketball-loving countrymen.
National Basketball Association star Jordan Clarkson will be at the helm while the tall, athletic and very versatile support crew of 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto, 6-foot-10 AJ Edu and June Mar Fajardo and 6-foot-9 Japeth Aguilar are all expected to step up and play like there’s no tomorrow.
Also tipped to be at their best are wingmen like Jamie Malonzo, RR Pogoy, Dwight Ramos and Rhenz Abando as well as playmakers Kiefer Ravena, Scottie Thompson and CJ Perez.
Gilas coach Chot Reyes said they will try to look at any edge they could have against the dangerous Dominicans led by three-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.
“We have a completely different approach,” said Reyes, who handled a small, quick squad composed of Jayson Castro, Jimmy Alapag and Paul Lee in his last World Cup appearance in 2014.
“We’re just focusing on the things we can control and we’re focusing on preparing, scouting as much as we can. We spent a lot of time studying a lot of individual tendencies of the players and game tendencies as well.”
Reyes said that they will focus on what they can control against a Dominican Republic side that also has Lester Quiñones and LJ Figueroa, who both have competitive international experience.
“We’re putting in a lot of effort in perfecting our offense as well. But do we have the goods? Do we have a team? It’s hard to say. But I’m happy with what I have. It’s really hard to say if we have the goods that can compete against these guys (Dominican Republic) until we see the actual game,” Reyes said.
Reyes’ deputy in multi-titled coach Tim Cone, who led the scouting mission on the Dominicans’ strengths, weaknesses and tendencies of their rivals, admitted that they’re going to have their hands full against Towns, a 6-foot-10 forward who has feathery touch from the perimeter.
“He’s a game-changer and his presence will certainly lift the team to another level, much like Jordan is for us,” Cone said.
“But I cannot go into details about what I’ve observed about the Dominican Republic except that it’s a tough, tough team.”
Reyes believes no single player can take on the Minnesota Timberwolves star pound-for-pound.
“Sure, size is important for us having Japeth, June Mar, Kai and AJ, but skill as well in the other aspects of the game and versatility,” Reyes said.
“Even if the game has gone the opposite way, I think having an inside presence is very, very important because every team we will face is going to have strong, inside players.”
He said stopping Towns will be next to impossible.
“Nobody is tougher than the first game with the big guy that we’re playing in the first game. That’s why we need the value of our frontline,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s physically possible for any single person on our team, and perhaps even in the entire World Cup, to stop Karl-Anthony Towns one-on-one. It’s going to take a village to stop him and the Dominican Republic.”
Still, the Filipinos are not backing down.
After all, their main missions are to wipe clean the memories of their fruitless World Cup stint and clinch a spot in the Paris Olympics that is reserved for the best-performing Asian team.
“I’m really hoping we’ll perform well,” Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio told Daily Tribune in an interview.
“We tried to have the best preparation for the team. The PBA even stopped holding tournaments since May. They’ve sacrificed the season to make sure that players will dedicate time.”
