GILAS PILIPINAS NEEDS TO BEAT SENEGAL, PUERTO RICO TO MAKE FINAL 16 IN WORLD CUP
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 04 Feb 2014
Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes believes the Philippine National team will have to beat Senegal and Puerto Rico to be able to make it to the final 16 in the World Cup in Spain in late August.
Reyes spoke to the Manila Standard minutes after the draw which was telecast ?live? in the basketball crazy Philippines by Solar Sports at 2:00 a.m.
Gilas Pilipinas is bracketed with Argentina, Croatia, Greece, Puerto Rico, and Senegal in Group B of the competition with their games to be played in Seville whose mayor approached Reyes after the draw, introduced himself and said how happy he was to have the Philippines play in his city.
Reyes said he would have been extremely happy if the Philippines was drawn in Group C which comprised the Dominican Republic, Turkey, USA, Finland, New Zealand and Ukraine but told us ?we need to pay our dues.?
He said that while Senegal had a line-up of players who are ?tall and athletic, we can play with them? while Puerto Rico is bannered by former PBA Petron Blaze import Renaldo Balkman who was banned for life by Commissioner Chito Salud after he virtually strangled teammate Arwind Santos during an altercation on the court.
Since his return to Puerto Rico after the PBAban, Balkman has played outstanding basketball, leading the Puerto Rican national team with 18.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game as they qualified for the World Cup following a second place finish in the FIBA Americas tournament.
Reports out of Spain said the Senegalese have a couple of former NBA players who are likely to be included in their World Cup squad. They include centers Hamady N?Diaye and Mouhamed Sene.
Reyes buckled down to work immediately after the groupings were known and said teams from other groups were interested in playing tune-up games with the Philippines which he disclosed was being arranged by a Spanish contact Igor Crespo who is a tournament organizer and an overall basketball guy who has arranged such games for other countries in the past.
Reyes said already Crespo was working on tune-up games against Brazil, Mexico and New Zealand.
The Gilas Pilipinas coach will return to Manila on February 8 and immerse himself and his coaching and administrative staff in working out details of the nationals training program and deciding on the sixteen players he plans to invite to the pool even as he is hoping that Congress would approve the naturalization of NBA players JaVale McGee of the Denver Nuggets and Andray Blatche of the Brooklyn Nets.
In the game against Argentina who won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games the Filipinos may have to contend with a powerful line-up that could include San Antonio Spurs superstar Manu Ginobili who told a press conference last year ?If I am in good shape, there are more chances that I will play the World Cup.?
Other outstanding NBA stars in the Argentine squad are Indiana Pacers forward Luis Scola and New York Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni aside from Carlos Delfino of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Greece will also likely include Nick Calathes and Kosta Koufos of the Memphis Grizzlies and ?Greak Freak? rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo while Croatia is expected to bank on former NBVA players Toko Ukic and Damir Markota together with highly touted 19 year old NBA draft prospect Dario Saric.
Senegal also has a handful of former NBA players eligible for its roster, including 7 foot centers Hamady N?Diaye who plays in the NBA DLeague and Mouhamed Sene who currently suits up for the Sharks Antibes of France. The 6?11? Sene is well known for his shot blocking ability because of his 7 foot 8 1/2 inch wingspan..
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