THE upcoming games of Gilas Pilipinas tonight, February 24, and on the 27th will provide a glimpse of what the FIBA World Cup can offer this August, basketball analyst and journalist Ernest Leo Hernandez said.
The Philippines, Indonesia and Japan will host the 2023 FIBA World Cup. This is the first time the FIBA World Cup will be held in multiple countries.
As hosts, the Philippines and Japan automatically qualify to compete at the FIBA World Cup.
Thus, the Fiba Asian Qualifying games tonight against Lebanon, and on Monday against Jordan, will not affect the Philippine standing.
Challenges for Gilas Pilipinas
Even though the qualifying games are not very important for the Philippine squad, Coach Chot Reyes has a big responsibility to take on his shoulders because he needs more time to prepare Gilas for the big stage.
“Yes, medyo challenging on the part of Chot Reyes maraming tao galit na galit kay Chot Reyes pero talagang problema ng Gilas Pilipinas, ng national team po natin, is yung preparation time. Kasi kung two weeks to go lang dun nagdadatingan yung mga players hindi masyado magandang anggulo yung preparation,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez also added that the national team must create a new program that will focus preparing Gilas Pilipinas in every game.
They have to tuck in a player pool who can dedicate themselves to playing for the national team. With a dedicated player pool, Gilas Pilipinas can have a fluid system.
The basketball analyst said that injuries are the next problem of the team. The current player pool is not yet fluid, and the players’ adjustments are not even good for the World Cup.
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Time to polish the system
Despite these challenges, Hernandez said that Gilas have plenty of time to polish the system and make efforts to show the full potential of players.
Jordan Clarkson can be a big help for the offense of the Gilas, specially in the world stage.
The 30-year-old Filipino-American is one of the top scorers of Utah Jazz in the NBA, averaging 21 points per game and contributing a lot to the team. These impressive stats of Clarkson can carry to the national team, which the team needs for the campaign.
“Malaki ang nasa balikat ngayon ni Jordan Clarkson kumpara sa mga nakaraang taon, syempre yun bigger role na binigay sa kanya 1st or 2nd option sa opensa e madadala niya yun sa Gilas Pilipinas. Specially karamihan sa mga kalaban niya sa FIBA world cup e mga NBA player din,” stated by Hernandez
Kai Sotto, on the other hand, has improved a lot in terms of power and durability inside the paint. This improvement can also be the key for winning games during the FIBA World Cup.
Hernandez also noticed that Sotto’s height changes the opponent’s offensive attack when he is inside the court.
Hernandez is also looking forward to seeing Justin Brownlee suiting up with the system of Chot Reyes for the Gilas Pilipinas. It will help the whole team keep the offense and defense more fluid.
Dry run for hosting
This is also the dry run for the FIBA officials who are going to the Philippines to check what can be improved by the Philippines on hosting the FIBA World Cup.
The FIBA World Cup will be held on August 25 until September 10. A total of 92 games will be played in the three capitals of Manila, Jakarta and Okinawa. In Manila, the venues will be the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City and the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Philippines will host the United States’ game on August 25 in SM MOA Arena.
The final game will be held at the Philippine Sports Arena in Bulacan on September 10.
