TAIPEI — Smart Gilas Pilipinas used a day’s break in the 34th Jones Cup here Monday for hard practice, bracing for an acid test versus South Korea at the TPEC Gymnasium here Tuesday.
The Nationals play the Koreans at 3 p.m., the start of a killer stretch of six straight tough games where Gilas will later take on Japan, Lebanon, Iran, Chinese Taipei and the US.
“Even as we won by a big margin Sunday, we don’t have illusions about the coming games. It’s a treacherous trek, starting with the Korea game,” said national coach Chot Reyes.
“That’s the way the Jones Cup is. It’s a very good competition and it’s just how you cope with it. And that’s why we’re here — to learn and get tested,” Reyes added.
Smart Gilas is likely to face tough challenge against South Korea, a perennial contender in the Asian stage finishing second to Iran in the Jones Cup last year.
The Koreans look more formidable this year playing their champion club team Anyang KGC, reinforced by talented imports Garrett Stutz and Juan Pattillo.
Stutz, at 6-foot-11, has the size, length and talent to match up with Marcus Douthit, and his 6-foot-6 back-up Pattillo could pose the Filipinos problems with his versatility. Pattillo is the same guy Meralco Bolts considered as import replacement to Champ Oguchi in the recent Governors Cup.
The Filipinos and the Koreans both won convincingly their first two games in the tournament. Three-time defending champion Iran was another team going unbeaten through the first two days, topping Lebanon and Japan.
Anyang KGC, also featuring Korean national players Oh Se-Keun, Kim Tae-Sul and Yang Hee-Jong, crushed Chinese Taipei B, 109-83, then clobbered Lebanon 94-78.
“This team will present us a different challenge from the one we faced against Jordan. They’re tough pero yan naman talaga ang hanap natin dito,” said Reyes.
“There are two styles of games in Asia. One is the game played by teams like Iran, Lebanon and Jordan, and the other played by teams like Korea and Japan. In Korea, we’ll encounter a team playing the traditional Asian game,” Reyes explained.
“They press a lot. Magsisimula ng zone iyan tapos i-pre-press ka ng husto. Let’s see how the guys react,” Reyes added.
But whatever challenge they face, Reyes said they will stick with their game, particularly their “dribble-drive offense.”