Gilas Pilipinas: Phillipines Men's Basketball Team...

[Tom A. Saiyan]

Sa wakas, naabutan ko in my lifetime na mapanood ang Pilipinas sa FIBA World...





kahit di sila manalo basta huwag lang masyadong tambak, masaya na ako... basta ang importante huwag mawala sa FIBA-Asia top 3...

[Tom A. Saiyan]

Reyes bares 17 man roster for World Cup, Asian Games

MANILA, Philippines - Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes kept the FIBA Asia silver medalist Gilas Pilipinas roster and added five more to complete its 17-man pool for the FIBA World Cup in Spain and most probably, for the Asian Games in South Korea as well.

Bannering the cast are the 12 members of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship line-up led by Jimmy Alapag, LA Tenorio, Jayson Castro, Larry Fonacier, Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood, Gary David, Ranidel Ocampo, Marc Pingris, Japeth Aguilar, Junmar Fajardo and naturalized player Marcus Douthit.

Beau Belga and Greg Slaughter, who were the last two players cut before the FIBA Asia tournament, were also included.

New names joining the pool are Marcio Lassiter, Jared Dillinger and Paul Lee.

The fate of Andre Blatche of the Brooklyn Nets, the other naturalized player eyed for the team, is awaiting Congressional approval.

“I would like to acknowledge the team owners and the PBA Board of Governors for allowing me to name the players in the pool. I would like to thank the PBA for its continued partnership to the national team effort,” said Reyes.

The team will start its practice on Monday starting at 8 p.m. at the Philsports Arena and will continue to hold once-a-week practices until such time that the team can hold regular training.

Gilas Pilipinas bagged the silver medal and a spot in the FIBA World Cup where it will play in Seville for the preliminary rounds in August-September. This will be the first time after 40 years that the country will be playing in the world basketball stage.

The Philippines drew a tough Group B that includes Argentina, Croatia, Greece, Puerto Rico and Senegal.

Next up for Team Philippines is the Asian Games set in September in Incheon, South Korea.

www.philstar.com/sports/2014/03/01/1295807/reyes-bares-17-man-roster-world-cup-asian-games

[Tom A Saiyan]

[Tomas Aiyan]

[Tomasaiyan]

[TA Saiyan]

[Tom A Saiyan]

According to the Gilas Pilipinas website, the members of the Philippine team for the 2014 FIBA World Cup are as follows:

Andray Blatche
Jayson Castro
LA Tenorio
Gary David
Jeff Chan
Gabe Norwood
Ranidel De Ocampo
Marc Pingris
Japeth Aguilar
June Mar Fajardo
Jimmy Alapag
Paul Lee

"From the Gilas Pilipin

[Tomas Aiyan]

Facing Gilas Pilipinas: Croatia
Take a closer look at the Croatian national basketball team, which will face Gilas Pilipinas in Group B of the FIBA World Cup
Enzo Flojo

The 2014 FIBA World Cup of Basketball is closing in. After 36 years, a Filipino team is once again among the teams participating, and Pinoy hoop nuts the world over eagerly await how Gilas Pililipinas will fare against the world's best basketball talents. In this five-part series, we will give a preview of what to expect from each team Gilas will face in Group B. In this particular post, we'll focus on the fourth placers from Eurobasket 2013, Croatia. Croatia

Oliver Lafayette is their naturalized player. He went undrafted in the NBA in 2007 and currently plays for Olympiacos in Greece. He was projected to start at PG over Roko Ukic, but in recent encounters they’ve split the time almost evenly.

FIBA Ranking: 16 How they qualified: Placed fourth at FIBA EuroBasket 2013 Date of Gilas game: August 30

Krunoslav Simon is a lockdown shooter who is also a highly-rated perimeter defender. Mario Hezonja, together with Dario Saric, is Croatia’s future. He was the MVP of the 2011 FIBA Europe U16 Tourney, leading Croatia to the gold. He led Croatia to third place in the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championships. He’s athletic and can shoot from long range.

Luka Babic and Damjan Rudez are both tall swingmen who are also great shooters.

Bojan Bogdanovic is this team’s best overall offensive weapon. He can overpower opposing small forwards and has a quick first step to get past bigger power forwards.

(RELATED: Facing Gilas Pilipinas: Senegal)

Saric was a double-double machine in the youth level, and he’ll probably start at power forward for Croatia. Damir Markota, meanwhile, is an enforcer who can shoot from long distance.

Ante Tomic is Croatia’s best low post threat. He can score in multiple ways and has a nice midrange game.

Luka Zoric and Luksa Andric are both tall, big-bodied, and physical guys. They don’t score much, but they rebound well. Andric can hit the three ball, too.

Croatia has won 5 of its 8 pre-tournament matches so far. They lost to Spain, 82-64, a few days ago in a pocket tournament in Badalona, but rebounded well by defeating FIBA Americas champion, Mexico, in the consolation game, 99-74. Not surprisingly, Bogdanovic did well in both games, scoring 17 against the Spaniards and then 11 points in just 24 minutes as Croatia cruised against Mexico.

How does Gilas match up?

As with all the other teams Gilas will face, size will be an issue, but the Croatians are also built solidly and are known for their physicality. Andray Blatche, Japeth Aguilar, and June Mar Fajardo will get more than they bargained for against the likes of Tomic, Saric, and Zoric. Those guys can bully their way to the basket or hit from the perimeter. Needless to say, it probably won’t be pretty. And when we go to Marc Pingris and Ranidel De Ocampo? It’ll be even tougher.

Mario Hezonja is seen as a future star on the Croatian team. Photo by Valda Kalnina/EPA

Don’t expect Blatche to have an outstanding offensive game against Croatia, if only because he’ll probably have his hands full on the defensive end. Sure, it’s quite possible Blatche will still put up a 20-10 line laced with a couple of triples, but, by and large, he’ll have to work extra hard against these young and undaunted Europeans.

A potential x-factor for us will be RDO, who, despite his struggles on the defensive end, should be able to stretch the floor with his perimeter game. He won’t leave anybody in the dust with his ball handling or burst of quickness, but his outside shooting has the potential to open things up for our slashers and bigs. I’m assuming, of course, he plays as a stretch 4. If he plays as a big 3, then that might create more problems, since he’ll match up with the bigger and faster Bogdanovic.

Speaking of Bogdanovic, the Brooklyn Net will be the toughest nut to crack for Gilas. We just don’t really have anybody to perfectly match up with him. He’ll overpower Gabe Norwood and Gary David and be just too agile for RDO or even Ping. Don’t be surprised if he scored like 16 points in 10 minutes or something like that.

Again, outside shooting is what will keep Gilas’ heads above water. With the exception of Blatche, our frontliners aren’t the strongest finishers at this level of basketball, so our wings and guards have to be at their very best. We have to compensate for our defensive mismatches by waxing hot from long distance. If that doesn’t happen, then, well the chances of an upset are next to nil.

[disitas]

[green] Facing Gilas Pilipinas: Senegal
Take a closer look at the Senegal national basketball team, which will face Gilas Pilipinas in Group B of the FIBA World Cup
Enzo Flojo

What kind of competition will Gilas Pilipinas be up against when the 2014 FIBA World Championship tips off on August 30? Here's a closer look at the teams in Group B, their key players and how the Philippines' Men's National basketball team matches up with them.

Senegal

For a lot of Pinoy hoop nuts, the most familiar name on this list will be young Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng. He wasn’t part of this team when it placed third in the 2013 Afrobasket, but he will surely be there in Spain.

FIBA Ranking: 41 How they qualified: Placed third at 2013 FIBA Africa Championship Date of Gilas game: September 4

In a recent tune-up game against no less than the World Cup hosts Spain, Dieng tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Lions lost, 49-88. Despite that sorry result, look for the 6-foot-11 24-year-old to be a focal point of coach Cheik Sarr’s system moving forward.

Senegal hasn’t released its final dozen yet, but I surmise that the shoo-ins will include Mouhammad Faye, Mouhamed Sene, and the two Ndoyes — Maleye and Mamadou.

Along with them will probably be US NCAA Division 1 players Louis Adams of South Carolina State, Maurice Ndour of Ohio University, and Thierno Niang of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Of those mentioned, the most intriguing are Faye and Maleye Ndoye. Because Dieng will probably take up much of the playing time at center, Sene’s role will be reduced somewhat, but Faye at the 4 should be a good complement to Dieng.

Maleye Ndoye, meanwhile, will be the team’s best bet at a threat from the wings. He led Senegal in scoring, steals, FG percentage, and three-pointers made in Afrobasket 2013. Not surprisingly, he was named Best Forward of the tournament.

How does Gilas match up?

HIGH-FLYER. Athletic big man Japeth Aguilar should match-up well against Senegal's bigs. Photo by Mark Cristino/Rappler

At the onset, we’ll have trouble matching up with Senegal in terms of length and athleticism. Andray Blatche and Japeth Aguilar can match-up quite well, but things will get tough when guys like Ranidel De Ocampo, Marc Pingris, and June Mar Fajardo take the floor. Needless to say, Gorgui Dieng, Mouhammad Faye, and Maleye Ndoye will make life hard up front for Gilas.

Conversely, Blatche will be tough to guard for Senegal. Because Blatche mainly plays from the perimeter, it’s possible he’ll drag someone like Dieng or Sene out of the paint, and this could potentially mean driving lanes will be open for our guards. As of this writing, though, we might not even be able to exploit this due to the possible absence of Jayson Castro, who went down against the Euskadi-Basque team with a possible Achilles tendon tear.

As will be the case with all our games, outside shooting will be a significant barometer of success. Jeff Chan, Gary David, Jimmy Alapag, and Gabe Norwood will all need to be on-target for Gilas to have the advantage against the Senegalese. Defensively, our backcourt can match up relatively well in terms of size, although all of the Lions’ guards can also shoot well from long range.

Overall, Gilas, as long as the guys are healthy and shoot well, should still have the advantage, thanks mainly to the presence of Blatche.

Source: Rappler

[disitas]

2014 #FIBA Basketball World Cup

• August 31, 2014, Sunday
10:00 AM -USA vs Finland - ABS-CBN Ch2
12:00 NN -Greece vs Senegal - ABS-CBN Sports+Action Ch.23
7:00 PM - Philippines vs Croatia - ABS-CBN Sports+Action Ch.23
9:00 PM - Puerto Rico vs Argentina - ABS-CBN Sports+Action Ch.23

•September 1, 2014, Monday
9:30 AM - USA vs Turkey - ABS-CBN Ch2
12:00 NN -Senegal vs Puerto Rico - ABS-CBN Sports+Action Ch.23
7:00 PM - Philippines vs Greece - ABS-CBN Sports+Action Ch.23
9:00 PM - Spain vs Iran - ABS-CBN Sports+Action Ch.23

•September 2, 2014, Tuesday
9:30 AM - Philippines vs Argentina - ABS-CBN Ch 2
12:00 NN - Spain vs Brazil - ABS-CBN Sports+Action Ch.23
7:00 PM - Croatia vs Senegal - ABS-CBN Sports+Action Ch.23
9:00 PM - Spain vs Egypt - ABS-CBN Sports+Action Ch.23

Source: The Official ABS-CBN Sports Page

[disitas]

[Tomas Aiyan]

Walang Imposible
Ramil Cruz

Walang dapat ikahiya ang kahit sinong Pilipino saan mang dako ng daigdig hinggil sa 78-81 overtime defeat ng Philippine national men’s team sa Croatia sa sambulat kamakalawa ng 17th FIBA World Basketball Cup sa Palacio Municipal de Deportes sa San Pablo, Seville City, Spain. World’s 34-ranked ang PHL 5 at no. 16 ang Croatians. Nalamangan man ng 15 sa second period, nakabalik at nakabentahe pa ng tatlo ang una sa huli. Muntik pang mabulaga ng reigning FIBA Asia silver winner ang FIBA European fourth placer sa regulation at maging sa extra period.

Nakapalag si Andray Blatche ng game-high 28 points at 13 rebounds, may 17 markers si resident gunner Jeff Chan sa likod ng 4-of-6 sa 3-point shots, at may 10 pts. si Marc Pingris laban sa mga higanteng Croats.

Kaya talo man nakuha nito ang paghanga ng mga naroon at ng lahat ng sino. Kagabing dakong alas-8:30 (alas-2:30 ng madaling-araw na oras sa Maynila) sa Day 2, susubukang makabawi ng Nationals sa pagtanggap naman sa hamon ng isa pang higante sa mundo ng larong ito -- world no. 5 at 11th placer sa FIBA Euro na Greece, buhat sa 87-64 win sa buong dinominang Senegal noon ding Sabado ng gabi.

Ilan sa dedepensahan ng Pinoy quintet si Kostas Kaimakoglou na naka-17 pts. at 8 rebs. sa pagbalikat sa Greeks. At si Milwaukee Bucks forward “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokoumpo na may 11 at 5 boards bukod pa sa 3 steals.

Mamayang alas-5:30 ng hapon (11:30 p.m., Manila time), toka sa Nationals ang mas dambuhalang no. 3 at FIBA America bronze winner Argentina, na 98-75 winner sa Puerto Rico sa likod ng 20 pts. ni Indiana Pacers forward Luis Scola, at ng 9 pts. at 10 assists ni New York Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni.

www.abante-tonite.com/issue/sep0114/sports_story01.htm#.VAWU3eWYi5g

[TAS]

Trahedyang Griyego
Mark Escarlote


Walang nahanap na Achilles heel na mapupuntirya ang Gilas Pilipinas para mapabagsak ang world No. 5 Greece sa Seville, Spain.

Masyadong malalaki at malalakas ang mga Griyego kumpara sa mga Pinoy, na nabarahan ang shooting sa pagpayong ng depensa ng mga matatangkad na karibal.

Maski si naturalized center Andray Blatche – na nagpakita ng puso sa paglalaro kahit iika-ika – ay nagdusa sa pagkuha ng puntos.

Sa huli ay taas noong tinanggap ng Gilas ang 82-70 loss sa Greece pero pinahanga pa rin ang mga kababayang dumagsa sa Palacio Municipal de Deportes San Pablo at mga nagpuyat sa pagtutok sa laro ng alas-dos ng madaling-araw kahapon (Manila time).

Kinuha ng Greece, wild card entry lang sa Europa pero ‘di maipagkakaila ang pagiging batak sa international play, ang ikalawang panalo sa Group B para makapasok sa round-of-16 kasama ang 16th-ranked Croatia, na pinahirapan ng Gilas noong Sabado bago maitakas ang 81-78 overtime win. Kinasahan kagabi ng mga Pinoy ang Argentina.

“I’m crushed by the loss but still very happy with the effort of my players,” ani Gilas coach Chot Reyes.

Naghirap si Blatche sa loob ng 33 minuto at kahit masakit ang tuhod ay nagtahi pa rin ng 21 points at nagbaba ng 14 rebounds sa kabila ng buong gabing paglingkis sa kanya nina Greek 7-footers Ioannis Bourousis at Georgios Printezis.

Humanga ang mentor dahil tila nahawa na ng pusong Pinoy si Blatche dahil hindi ito pumayag na maupo na lang.

“Kahit iika-ika, gusto niya maglaro e,” bigkas ni Reyes.

Nagtapos si June Mar Fajardo ng 10 points, may seven boards at pares ng blocks sa 10 minutong laro habang si Marc Pingris ay may pitong puntos at anim na rebounds.

Pumukpok si Georgios Printezis ng 25 points, may double-double si Bourousis na 12 markers at 10 boards habang si Kostas Papanikolaou ay may siyam na puntos at apat na assists para sa 2006 FIBA World Cup silver medalist Greece.

www.abante-tonite.com/issue/sep0214/sports_story02.htm#.VAWWJuWYi5g


Samantala, nanalo ang Croatia sa Argentina, 90-85, habang wagi ang Senegal sa Puerto Rico, 82-75, sa iba pang Group B preliminary round matches.

[TA Saiyan]

Gilas Pilipinas falls short versus 3rd-ranked Argentina
By Bong Lozada | INQUIRER.net

sports.inquirer.net/162906/gilas-pilipinas-falls-short-versus-3rd-ranked-argentina

MANILA, Philippines—It was a valiant effort but it just would not cut in.

Looking for a probable upset, Gilas Pilipinas fell short against Argentina, 85-81, during their group stage matchup at the 2014 Fiba World Cup in Sevilla, Spain, Tuesday early morning (Manila time).

Gilas Pilipinas faced the daunting task of putting down the third-best team in the world and long bombs from Jimmy Alapag in the late stages of the fourth period could have done it.

Argentina, however, reared its head and showed the 34th-ranked Philippines why they are part of the world’s elite.

Alapag cut the deficit to one, 82-81, with 2:09 remaining in the last half.

With both teams going scoreless for almost a minute, Andres Nocioni slugged it out against Andray Blatche and Marc Pingris in the paint for a rebounding battle, drawing a foul against the Filipino power forward to go to the line to shoot a couple of charities.

Nocioni split the free throws to put Argentina up 83-81 with 42 seconds remaining.

Jayson Castro then committed a monster of a blunder with a traveling violation, with 12 seconds remaining.

Nocioni then calmly put the game away to hand the Philippines its third loss in the tournament and give his country a 2-1 record.

Luis Scola had 19 points and seven rebounds for Argentina while Ranidel De Ocampo led Gilas with 18 points.

Andray Blatche notched a double-double for Gilas with 14 points and 15 boards while Alapag, who sparked a would-be rally in the fourth, had 15.

[TAS]

Sayang, Pilipinas
Ramil Cruz

Mailap pa rin ang unang panalo ng Pilipinas sa 17th FIBA World Cup sa Spain.

Winagayway uli ng No. 34 Philippine national men’s team ang laki ng puso sa pang-apat na senaryo, pero ‘di nasustena at tumirik 73-77 sa 17th-ranked Puerto Rico sa Palacio Municipal de Deportes San Pablo sa Sevilla.

Salto na ang Gilas sa Round-of-16.

Naiwan ang Filipinos 0-6, pero nang matauhan ay nagpasabog ng nakakatulig na 18-0 salvo mula first quarter patawid sa second tungo sa biggest lead 29-15. Pero sa tiyaga, unti-unti itong tinabas ng Puerto Ricans.

Sa pagkabokya pa rin sa panalo makaraan ang mga naunang 78-81 overtime, 70-82 at 81-85 defeats sa No. 16 Croatia noong Sabado, sa No. 5 Greece noong Linggo at No. 3 Argentina noong Lunes, no-bearing na ang alas-7:30 ng gabi mamayang game ng Gilas sa No. 41 Senegal.

Naging berdugo para sa mga Pinoy si JJ Barea na maaga mang nasapawan ni LA Tenorio ay binanda naman sa endgame ang NBA pedigree. Naka-30 points ang 2011 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks member na ngayo’y nasa Minnesota Timberwolves na.

Sapaw ang 18 ni Tenorio at 25 ni Andray Blatche na may panahog pang 14 rebounds.

Iniskor ni Barea ang 10 sa final 12 points ng Puerto Rico sa endgame.

Mula sa 70-67 lead sa 3-point shot ni Blatche, sinimulan ni Barea ang pagbalikat sa kampo niya sa sariling triple para sa 70-all sa final 2:07 sa ballgame. Ang salaksak niya sa pag-iwan kay Tenorio ang nag-abante sa Puerto Ricans 72-70. Limang mintis at ilang errors ng Gilas, kabilang ang naiguhit kay Blatche na turnover nang mabulaga sa ilalim at napilitang pumasa pero nanakaw, ang nagselyo sa kapalaran ng Filipinos.

Pagkaraaang wakasan ang laban sa Senegal sa Group B sa 24-team, 16-day cagefest na ito, diretso na ang Gilas Pilipinas sa Incheon City, South Korea para sa 17th Asian Games sa Setyembre 19-Oktubre 4 naman kung saan target ng PHL squad na iuwi ang gold na huling naikuwintas noon pang 1962.

[Tomas Aiyan]

Thrilla in Seville
Mark Escarlote

May bagong nadagdag na karakter ang Gilas Pilipinas kagabi sa pamamaalam sa makasaysayang pagkampanya sa 2014 FIBA World Cup sa Sevilla, Spain.

Napatunayan na ng mga Pinoy ang kanilang puso mula sa unang laro kontra Croatia na umabot ng overtime. Lumabas muli sa naglalakihan at malalakas na world no. 5 Greece.

Napahanga sa ipinakitang husay ang World no. 3 Argentina. Pinakaba ang Puerto Rico at nakuha ang respeto ng NBA champion guard nito.

Kagabi ay siniguro ng Gilas na ipapakain nila sa Senegal ang mga pangungutyang binitawan nito. Ilang araw bago ang huling laro ng mga Pinoy ay nakarinig ang mismong presidente ng Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas na si Manny V. Pangilinan mula sa ilang Senegalese officials ng “Go home!”

Ang sagot ng grupo: “Go home? Only after we beat you!”

May isang salita rin pala ang mga Pinoy.

Tinapos ng Gilas ang 40 taong pagkauhaw sa panalo sa World Championship sa pagbabalik sa pinakamalaking stage ng basketball sa nakalipas na 26 taon sa 81-79 pagkaldag sa nagpakahambog na Senegal sa pagsasara ng Group B preliminary stage.

Isinampal pa ng mga Pinoy sa mukha ng mas matatangkad na Senegal na kaya silang pabagsakin ng isang all-Filipino team nang ma-fouled out si naturalized Andray Blatche may 1:55 sa overtime at tabla ang laro sa 69.

Sa huling biyahe ni 5-foot-10 Jimmy Alapag sa national team ay tiniyak nito na hindi siya makakalimutan ng mga Pinoy nang magsalampak ng 18 points kasama na ang huling dalawang pako sa panaklob sa kabaong ng mga Aprikano sa huling apat na segundo mula sa foul line.

Nagbaba si Alapag ng apat na rebounds at nagbigay pa ng apat na assists para sa Gilas, na binigyan ni Blatche ng 18 points at 14 boards.

Umabante ang Senegal, naiwan ng hanggang 15 points sa first half, 71-69, sa free throws ni Xane D’Alemeida sa huling foul ni Blatche. Binura ito ni Pinoy center June Mar Fajardo, may 15 points at siyam na rebounds, sa kanyang layup.

Anim na sunod na puntos pa ang ibinuga ng Gilas bago makadikit muli sa tatlo ang Senegal, 77-74, may 37 segundo na lang. Sinagot ito ng split charities nina Alapag at Gabe Norwood sa pagbalik ng lamang sa lima may 11 tikada na lang. Isa pang basket ng Senegal ang pumagitan sa panelyo ni Alapag bago ang huling tres ng Senegal sa buzzer.

Nagkaroon sana ng tsansa si Gilas guard LA Tenorio na isarado ang laro sa regulation pero tumalbog lang pataas sa rim ang kanyang floater sa pagkaupos ng oras.

Tapos na ang run ng Gilas. Isang panalo, apat na talo – kung matatawag man itong kabiguan.

[Gilas Saiyan]

[PHI Saiyan]

Gilas Pilipinas Roster for 2014 Asian Games

-Marcus Douthit
-Jimmy Alapag
-LA Tenorio
-Gary David
-Jeff Chan
-Gabe Norwood
-Ranidel De Ocampo
-Marc Pingris
-Japeth Aguilar
-June Mar Fajardo
-Jared Dillinger
-Paul Lee

* Andray Blatche will not be able to play in the Asian Games because of different rules on eligibility being implemented by the organizers and was replaced by Marcus Douthit

* Jimmy Alapag replaced Jayson Castro who is out because of an injury he sustained in the FIBA World Cup

[baller Saiyan]

[Saiyan Basketball]

Philippines moved from No. 34 to No. 31 in the FIBA Rankings after the 2014 FIBA World Cup. USA, Spain, Argentina and Lithuania remained at No. 1-4. Iran moved 3 places from No. 20 to No. 17 while South Korea moved from 31 to 27.



Courtesy of Smart Gilas Badketball

[Sinag Saiyan]

Dapat Sinag na lang ang ipinadala sa ASIAN Games... pwede rin ang nasa reserve team...