Smart Gilas tests strength of new frontline

Photo by PBA/Nuki Sabio

MANILA—Smart Gilas Pilipinas will be using the tuneup games against Jordan and Qatar to test the new frontline combination of Marcus Douthit and Kelly Williams for the coming Fiba Asia Championship.

Douthit, the 6-foot-10 naturalized center, and the 6-foot-7 Williams haven’t played together since they were recruited to the national team.

“It’s going to be a good test to see if Marcus and Kelly could fit in the team together,” said Smart Gilas team captain Chris Tiu.

The Nationals will face Qatar this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. Qatar meets Jordan the following day while Smart Gilas takes a break.

The Filipinos will then take on the Jordanians on Saturday and Qatar again on Sunday before leaving for the Fiba Asia Championship in Wuhan, China, set Sept. 15 to 25.

“I hope the combination of Kelly and Marcus could help us match up with bigger players from other countries,” said Tiu.

“It’s obvious that rebounding has been a perennial problem for us. With Marcus and Kelly, this problem will be addressed.”

Douthit missed the Guangzhou Asian Games last year when Williams, Talk ‘N Text’s beefy enforcer, suited up for the national team along with PBA stars Asi Taulava and Sol Mercado.

“These tuneup games will feature the full strength of the team,” added Tiu. “Hopefully, injuries won’t hamper our bid.”

The winner of the Asian championship automatically seals the continental slot for the London Olympics next year.

Aside from Taulava and Williams, TNT’s Jimmy Alapag and Ranidel De Ocampo have also been tapped to strengthen the national team.

“Coach (Rajko Toroman) is slowly integrating them into the system,” said Tiu. “I believe this is a much stronger team.”

The Philippines, absent in the basketball competitions of the Olympics in the last 40 years, is bracketed in Group D with China, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in the Asian championship.