FIBA World Qualifiers 2018:

Depleted Iran flattens Guiao-led Gilas, 78-70

December 3, 2018 – Mall of Asia Arena
Australia Boomers stops Gilas Pilipinas, 84-68
photo courtesy of FIBA

FIBA World Qualifiers News 2018: A depleted Iran NT flattened the Gilas Pilipinas squad coached by Yeng Guiao, 78-70 in the fifth window of the 2018 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers this Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena. Gilas lost to a weakened Iranian five without its’ main stars Hamed Haddadi and Samad Nikkhah Bahrami.

Notes:

➤ Iran’s Mohammad Jamshidi pummeled Gilas with 26 big buckets, with 20 coming off the 4th quarter combined with 7 assists while guard Behnam Yakhchali poured 21 points and 7 boards.

➤ The Filipinos squandered the sure chance to qualify for the World Cup as it fell to fourth place with a 5-5 slate, just below Japan. They need to win their two remaining games and hope that the Hayabusa Five loses at least a game to even out the rankings. Only the top-three teams will qualify for the FIBA Worlds and the Philippines may now need a miracle to advance.

➤ Home-court advantage did not work wonders for RP Five this time around, as Guiao’s system is yet to be proven effective in international tournaments. To sum it all up: Gilas was relegated to fifth place in the recent Asian Games with Jordan Clarkson in tow, lost to a mediocre Kazakhstan team without a legitimate star, and fell twice to an Iranian team that never fielded the behemoth Hamed Haddadi.

➤ If there was any consolation for Guiao, it was the extremely short preparation time of Gilas. This resulted to a disjointed team pitted against Asia’s powerhouse squads with less than a decade of team chemistry. However, Yeng could have opted to field-in the battle-tested Gilas five, but chose to play with an untested roster of mostly aging cagers instead.

➤ Compounding the Gilas hullabaloo was the preposterous exclusion of vital cog Andray Blatche. The former New Jersey Nets center would have terrorized Iran and Kazakhstan in the paint and be unstoppable from the perimeter. Blatche’s defense also would have been a lethal weapon for Gilas, but his unceremonial ejection from the roster proved fatal for the Filipinos.

➤ Meanwhile, Jayson Castro, who just back from FIBA suspension, powered Gilas with 19 markers and 5 caroms while Christian Standhardinger finished with 17 points and 8 boards.

➤ The Philippine basketball team will next face Qatar and Kazakhstan in the sixth window both in away games to continue Gilas’ journey in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Game Scores:
Quarters: 19-20, 35-39, 50-54, 78-70.

iran nt: 78

Jamshidijafarabadi 26, Yakhchalidehkordi 21, Mirzaeitalarposhti 11, Arghavan 8, Hassanzadeh 7, Mozafarivanani 3, Hosseizadeh 2, Sedighi 0, Davoudichegani 0, Torabi 0, Rezaeifar 0.

gilas pilipinas: 70

Castro William 19, Standhardinger 17, Lassiter 12, Fajardo 8, Wright 4, Belga 3, Rosario 3, Santos 2, Aguilar 2, Tenorio 0, Norwood 0, Thompson 0.

Posted on December 4, 2018 - Mall of Asia Arena

Written by Rock Punzalan for Philippine Basketball News Team

FIBA World Qualifiers 2018:

Disaster as Gilas falls to lowly Kazakhstan NT

November 30, 2018 – Mall of Asia Arena

FIBA World Qualifiers News 2018: It was a disaster for Philippine basketball as Gilas Pilipinas fell to lowly Kazakhstan NT, 92-88 in the continuation of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers this Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena. The unnerving defeat relegated RP Five to 4th place in Group F and in danger of elimination, losing to a mediocre squad with a four-game losing streak.

Notes:

Stanley Pringle led the losing Gilas with 29 points, while center Junemar Fajardo had 14 points and 13 caroms.

➤ The gamble of Coach Yeng Guiao to utilize an untested roster resulted to the shock loss, with the bigs being unable to defend well in the perimeter. It only highlighted the absence of dominant and mobile big man Andray Blatche, whom Guiao conspicuously left out of the roster. Blatche’s mobility would have given Kazakhstan nightmares. Also absent were Jayson Castro and Troy Rosario who are both serving their FIBA suspensions.

Christian Stanhardinger is also set to replace Pringle as the lone naturalized player in the Pinoy lineup.

➤ Kazakhstan’s Alexander Zhigulin was virtually unstoppable from the three-point territory, converting 6 treys to finish with a total of 30 points, while Anton Bykov added 20 buckets and 9 boards.

➤ The Kazakhstan five is virtually the same squad whom the Pinoys handily beat time and again in countless international tourneys. Worst, they are missing the services of their star player Anton Ponomarev who reportedly begged-off to concentrate in professional basketball.

➤ The Philippine Basketball Team is now tied with Japan NT with identical 5-4 win-loss slate. They must win all their remaining games against Iran, Qatar, and Kazakhstan or risk getting booted out of the qualifiers.

➤ The Filipinos will next battle Iran NT for a do-or-die rematch on Monday, December 3.

Game Scores:
Quarters: 17-18, 40-39, 65-62, 92-88

kazakhstan nt: 92

Zhigulin 30, Bykov 20, Yergali 12, Murzagaliyev 11, Kuanov 8, Bazhin 7, Marchuk 4, Gavrilov 0, Lapchenko 0, Chsherbak 0.

gilas pilipinas: 88

Pringle 29, Fajardo 14, Lassiter 13, Tenorio 8, Norwood 7, Thompson 6, Wright 5, Aguilar 4, Erram 2, Slaughter 0, Belga 0, Cabagnot 0.

Posted on December 1, 2018 - Mall of Asia Arena

Written by Rock Punzalan for Philippine Basketball News Team

FIBA World Qualifiers 2018

Guiao names Gilas Final 12 versus Kazakhstan

November 28, 2018

FIBA World Qualifiers News 2018: Coach Yeng Guiao finalized the Gilas Pilipinas Final 12 that will battle Kazakhstan in the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers this Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Philippines is currently ranked 3rd in the heap with a 5-3 slate, while the Kazakhs are at fifth with a 3-5 record.

Notes:

➤ The Filipinos will not have a legitimate naturalized player as Guiao opted to not include NBA veteran and Gilas mainstay Andray Blatche in the fifth window roster. Blatche is also coming off the suspension sanctioned by FIBA to Gilas players after the infamous RP-Australia brawl.

➤ The magic twelve of Guiao includes PBA behemoths Junemar Fajardo, Greg Slaughter, Poy Erram and Japeth Aguilar. The guard rotation will have Stanley Pringle, LA Tenorio, Alex Cabagnot and Scottie Thompson. Rounding-up the cast will be forwards Gabe Norwood, Matthew Wright, Marcio Lassiter, and Beau Belga.

➤ Out of the final line-up were Jayson Castro and Troy Rosario, both serving FIBA suspensions, and Ricci Rivero, Kai Sotto, Ian Sangalang, Paul Lee, Arwind Santos, and Christian Stanhardinger.

Guiao also stated that Stanhardinger will be the likely naturalized player for the next game against Iran. Pringle and Stanhardinger are considered naturalized due to a FIBA residency ruling despite both being legitimate Filipinos.

➤ The Pinoys are in a must-win situation against Kazakhstan as they are in a precarious third place spot in the qualifiers. A loss may put them behind Qatar or Japan, who are both trailing behind at 4th place. Only the first three qualifiers from Asia will advance to the World Cup 2019.

Posted on November 29, 2018

Written by Rock Punzalan for Philippine Basketball News Team

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