Gilas faces Indonesia on Sunday
Credit to Author: Josef T. Ramos, TMT| Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2020 16:12:11 +0000
Gilas Pilipinas flies to Indonesia tonight to face the host Indonesian team on Sunday in the first window of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Cup qualifiers at the Britama Arena in Jakarta.
After announcing the final 12 roster on Wednesday night, Gilas Pilipinas interim coach Mark Dickel said it would not be easy beating the Indonesians though the Philippine team handily thrashed them, 97-70, in the semifinals of the 30th Southeast Asian Games last December at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“They (Indonesian) are really well-disciplined and well-coached,” Dickel told reporters after a training session at the Meralco gym. “They are proven to be a tough opponent especially playing in their home court. I anticipate the game to be really difficult.”
Dickel has no information on the composition of the Indonesian team although it is certain that Lester Prosper, a former import in the Philippine Basketball Association, will not play for Indonesia because of passport issue.
“I have no knowledge about them, but we’re assuming they have (a naturalized player). So we are going to go over there and play good game. They will not going to give it to us,” added Dickel.
The Gilas 12-man lineup is a blend of youth and experience. The 12 members are Roger Pogoy, Troy Rosario, JP Erram, CJ Perez, Justin Chua, Kiefer Ravena, Abu Tratter, Isaac Go, Thirdy Ravena, Juan Gomez De Liano, Dwight Ramos and Matt Nieto.
“We had numerous combinations that we could have gone with, and a few positions we felt like we covered with some young players, so they have an advantage of thinking toward the future. In all honesty, the team in the last two days of practice it made us much, much easier to pick. The PBA players gave us a really good base to build on and then the other four to five young players I believe can complement in it,” Dickel said.