After successful campaign in China, Gilas resumes training camp in Manila

Gilas Pilipinas heads back to Manila on Tuesday following its China pocket tournament that saw the national squad hack our confidence-boosting wins over Senegal and Iran in back-to-back nights to cap its stint on a strong note.

Dwight Ramos supplied the consistent offense, Kiefer Ravena provided steady playmaking while big men AJ Edu and Jamie Malonzo were strong off the glass as Gilas subdued Iran, 63-48 on Monday night at the close of the 2023 Heyuan WUS International Basketball tournament in Guangdong, China.

Gilas Pilipinas FIBA PHOTO 

The Philippines finished the pocket tournament with a 3-1 record.

But while the Filipinos were in China, coach Chot Reyes said they’ve started compiling their scouting report for the Dominican Republic, which will serve as the Philippines’ first opponent when the 2023 FIBA World Cup kicks off on Aug. 25 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

“We are preparing the scouting reports, players’ tendencies, team tendencies,” Reyes said, during his interview with former PBA commissioner Noli Eala in his Power and Play sports program over the weekend.

Karl-Anthony Towns will be bannering what many believe would be an eager and solid Dominican Republic side for the world basketball showpiece.

The only difference is, Dominican Republic won’t have veteran NBA big man Al Horford and Chris Duarte, according to reports that came out last week after being included in its preliminary extended roster.

While Reyes said they’ve also marked veteran shooter Victor Liz, who at 37 remains a lethal scorer, along with former FIBA Americas youth campaigner Lester Quinones,

they are focusing on getting games against big teams to simulate the World Cup.

“And that’s why we want to play against tall teams, with seven-footers and tall wingmen,” he stressed.

Defense remains central in the team’s preparation, while Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson is set to join Gilas when the team resumes practice on Wednesday in Manila.

The 31-year-old Clarkson will have at least a little over two weeks to get reacquainted with Gilas’ offense and defensive systems.

“We’re playing a lot of fundamentla defense,” he said. “We are not yet doing lot of scheming, but when we come back from China, we will prepare for a lot of schemes.”

Reyes added there’s still a lot of work to do in terms of keeping everyone in sharp form.

From there, Gilas will play Montenegro and Mexico just a few days before the opening of the FIBA World Cup.