Hunt for gold: Gilas Pilipinas opens Asian Games campaign against India
Fresh from a historic campaign in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, Gilas Pilipinas shifts its focus on ending the nation’s long gold medal drought in the 2014 Asian Games, with a vastly-improving India serving as its initial test at the Hwaseong Sports Complex in Incheon.
Determined to ride the crest of their first win in the world stage courtesy of an 81-79 overtime win over Senegal early this month, the Nationals are favored in the 1 p.m. match (Manila time) but are expected to have their hands full anew against the younger Indians who boast a plethora of big men led by 6-foot-10 center Amritpal Singh.
The Indians, handled by American coach Scott William Flemming, topped the qualifying phase of the four-team Group B by defeating Kazakhstan with ease 80-61 on Monday afternoon.
That victory by India paved the way for its inclusion in Group E alongside Gilas Pilipinas and reigning FIBA Asia cage champion Iran, considered by many as heavy title favorites.
While the Indians are looking to prove they belong among the region’s elite, the Nationals are raring to end a 52-year gold medal dry spell in the continental meet since a former national team, backstopped by Narciso Bernardo, Roehl Nadurata, Eduardo Pacheco, Big Boy Reynoso, Kurt Bachmann, and Caloy Loyzaga, reigned supreme during the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games.
“That’s the goal, no less than the gold. That's the goal set by MVP,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Sonny Barrios, expounding the marching order from the team's main supporter and SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan.
“First-class ang training nila (Gilas) for the Asian Games dahil no less than the World Cup ang part of their training program,” added Barrios.
Although naturalized import Andray Blatche won’t be around for failing to meet the three-year residency rule implemented by the Olympic Council of Asia, the Nationals remain a solid and dangerous bunch, with skipper Jimmy Alapag, LA Tenorio, Paul Lee, Jared Dillinger, Gabe Norwood, Ranidel de Ocampo, Marc Pingris, Japeth Aguilar, June Mar Fajardo, Jeff Chan, and Gary David providing the needed help to returning reinforcement Marcus Douthit.
The tougher test awaits the Nationals on Thursday when they take on the formidable Iranians, who will parade anew the likes of towering center Hamed Haddadi and ace wingman Samad Nikkah Bahrami.
Gilas Pilipinas, however, is not looking that far ahead. The Nationals are eager to re-assert their mastery over India, which they defeated 70-66 in the quarterfinal round of the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan last July.
Like Gilas Pilipinas and Iran, also securing an automatic entry to the preliminary round are six other teams which finished in the Last 8 during the 2010 Guangzhou Asiad, including back-to-back champion China, host Korea, Japan, Qatar, Jordan, and Chinese Taipei.
China and Chinese Taipei are in Group C alongside Kazakhstan while Group D is composed of Korea, Jordan and Mongolia. Joining Japan and Qatar in Group F is Kuwait.
The top two teams from each group after the single round of play will advance to the knockout quarterfinals.
