PH battles Jordan in clash of unbeaten teams

WITH both teams off to a flying start, the Philippines and Jordan collide at the close of the group play in Pool C in a battle of unbeaten teams in the 19th Asian Games men’s basketball tournament today at the Zhejiang University Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China.

Gilas Pilipinas demolished Bahrain 89-61 on Tuesday and survived a tough opposition from Thailand en route to a 87-72 triumph on Thursday.

Jordan, on the other hand, played excellent basketball in its first two games and thrashed Thailand 97-63 and Bahrain 84-60.

Scottie Thompson drives between two Thailand defenders during their game on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, in the 19th Asian Games at the Zhejiang University Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China. PSC PHOTO 

With an outright quarterfinal spot in the 5×5 men’s basketball at stake, Gilas Pilipinas would not want to let this chance pass as the national squad tangles with Jordan at 5:30 p.m.

Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone, meanwhile, admitted the players are still trying to discover their identity as a team considering the personnel changes made over a week ago.

“We’re still unfamiliar of ourselves and the changing defenses, we just really haven’t had enough time to figure how we battle these teams, we have to rely on our individual skills,” Cone said in an interview with One Sports.

However, CJ Perez, one of five late replacements for the team, made a seamless entry into the team under Cone.

The athletic wingman from San Miguel Beer averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in two games as he provided the biggest spark for the local side.

Of course, naturalized player Justin Brownlee has been leading the country’s bid for a gold medal here as he averaged 17.5 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3.5 steals per game.

Cone added that the 6-foot-4 Brownlee is just between “80 to 85 percent” healthy since he underwent ankle surgery early last August.

“His (Brownlee) foot is bothering more than a little bit and he’s been battling through it,” Cone said. “We put a lot of demands on him. He’s not 100 percent. For this game (against Thailand), he’s about 80-85 percent and obviously he needs to be better going to Jordan.”

And while Cone and his coaching staff will do everything they can to prepare the players, one player from Jordan that requires a lot of defensive attention is the West Asian squad’s naturalized player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

The 28-year-old Jordanian naturalized player needs no introduction to Filipino players, having played and even led TNT to the PBA Governors’ Cup title this past season against Cone’s Barangay Ginebra last April.

The left-handed Hollis-Jefferson, who drew raves with his “Kobe Bryant-like” plays, averaged 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.0 assists for Jordan in the first two contests.

Other than RHJ, Gilas still has to think of ways to slow down high-scoring guard Sami Bzai, who is averaging 17 points per game.

Even 6-foot-11 Jordanian big man Ahmed Al-Dwairi also requires the Philippines’ defensive attention. He averaged 13.0 points, 10.5 rebounds 4.0 assists and 3.0 blocks for Jordan.