Sports Eye
Gilas five bounce back
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
SPORTS pages were suddenly filled with varying opinions after the embarrassing defeat by our Gilas Five against FIBA Asia novice squad Palestine. I believe that was a ‘wake-up’ call for the Gilas because their five succeeding games were all victories, winning in double digits including the win over the defending champion Iran (87-73), except the pesky Japanese squad (73-66) to top the second round.
Gilas managed to enter the quarterfinals and as of this writing (Thursday morning), the Tab Baldwin mentored Nationals are ready to battle the up-and-coming Lebanon quintet in a knockout game at 9:30 p.m. Yes, the hefty and averagely taller Lebanese five is not a pushover. Pundits are giving the edge to our Gilas to win the clash due to their five streak wins and hopefully there will be no replication of the defeat in the hands of the Palestinians. To grab the lone continental elusive berth for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games entails a no-loss card to the finish. And if lucky, this will be our first after many decades.
Gilas naturalized player Andray Blatche obviously is not yet in shape but the 6’11’ former Brooklyn Nets center has to come up strong again just as he had done against Iran’s crafty pivot-man Hamed Haddadi. “We don’t care too much about Blatche,” said Lebanon coach Veselin Matic. “Our game against the Filipinos is a good matchup. Although we are the underdogs, we can play Philippines, easy, easy,” Matic boasted. Well, that’s his view. I hope he’s wrong.
Eight teams are left playing after one week of intense skirmishes with some of the favorites in the continent finding themselves in a clashing path early on. The heavily favored China, the only team with unblemished record (so far) is facing India in the quarterfinals while South Korea meets Iran and Japan to tangle Qatar. The winners of the Gilas-Lebanon and Japan-Qatar matches will advance to the semis as well as the victors of the China-India and South Korea-Iran to be conducted on October 2.
“We have to continue to work hard and continue to play with hunger,’ said Gilas point-guard Jason Castro. “There’s no room to relax at this stage because it’s a one-miss-you-die situation for all of us here,” he added.
That’s very true because the moment you lose, then it will be goodbye for the Rio Games. Let’s just wait and see.
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My heartfelt congratulations to the defending champion Urdaneta City National High School-A for topping the Bracket A in this year’s Pangasinan Milo Best Center Passerelle Basketball Twin Tournament and likewise to Ednas High School for ruling Bracket B and both teams entered the semifinals. UCNHS meets La Marea Academy of Dagupan while Ednas School faces St. Albert The Great School on October 4 at Urdaneta City Cultural and Sports Center.
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After a week of non-activity due to venue problem, the second meeting of the Universities Colleges Athletic Association of Pangasinan (UCAAP) Jimmy Fernandez Basketball Challenge between title-contenders Lyceum Northwestern University (LNU) Dukes and University of Pangasinan (UPang) Phinma Flames will definitely be held on Tuesday (Oct. 6) at 12:30 p.m., Dagupan People’s Astrodome. I guess this will be another slam-bang match for the two like what happened in their first meeting where the defending champions Dukes of Nanoy Duque eventually prevailed, 76-66. First game features AIE Green Eagles versus PCST Topnotch at 11:a.m. See you there.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; He is double-minded-man, unstable in all his ways. JAMES 1: 5-8
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